


Our Old Bones Rattle

by glimmerFae (verfens)



Series: The Skeletons In Our Closets [3]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blind Character, Canon Disabled Character, Dissociation, Enemies to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Lovers to enemies to lovers, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Child Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Redemption, Romance, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, break ur heart a few times over before things start getting better, fic will be endgame mcreaper76, hypersexual mccree, i draw you in w/ the promise of smut and silliness, nothing even mildly romantic happened between them until McCree was like 27, occasional smut, reapers redemption arc is a PAIN, slowburn ish, the whole gang's there, there's silliness spread in and about the angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-26
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-07-18 09:56:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 92,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7310350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verfens/pseuds/glimmerFae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At some point in the past, Jesse McCree might have been in love with Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison.  Hell, those feelings might have even been returned, in the middle of the two most (in)famous men of Overwatch's own long-standing relationship at its very end.  However, between the fact that things went to hell in a handbasket faster than he could fix them, and the fact they were pronounced dead 6 years ago, he left those feelings behind as best he could and tried his best to vanish, and let the corpse of what they could have been- what they almost were- completely rot away.  Overwatch's recall, though, means that Jesse is forced to face the bones of what they could have been, and much like Jack and Gabriel themselves, those feelings have an awful hard time staying dead.</p><p>In which Jack suffers from PTSD and is mostly blind, Gabriel can't remember things straight or maintain his human form, and Jesse McCree is stuck between two grumpy old men and a hard place known as his notorious reputation for troublemaking and a ravenous sexual appetite.</p><p>McReaper76 is the endgame, but a lot of Reaper76, McReaper, and McCree76 before that point.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I tend to write very fast, and I don't always realize that I've made mistakes like spelling errors, or leaving entire words out. I also invite you to tell me if you see something like that, I won't be angry. While I am near-constantly combing over the work after I post it, I do miss things sometimes! 
> 
> I plan for this to be a very long fic, so things might take a while to switch arcs. I work on this when I can, and yeah, I might post a chapter every day for a few days, and then take a break for the next few. So with that, enjoy!

Their location had been compromised because of some infighting, and now McCree had to get things organized despite only having been in Germany for a few weeks since Recall really had gotten the proverbial ball rolling.

To be honest, Jesse hadn't been entirely happy about already having to leave, but he was hardly the most upset about having to leave the comfortable Wilhelm estate. Zarya, the pink haired bodybuilder-turned soldier had only just arrived from Russia the night before, and had definitely been looking forward to getting some rest. She had come, just like the rest of them, to the call of how Overwatch was reforming to once more combat the rising tide of conflict in the world.  But she was also on active duty in Russia and had requested some time off to rest from her battle against rogue omnics in Russia, and one Katya Volskaya, her boss allegedly, had granted her leave and permission to join their ranks.

"So, arentcha ya glad I brought my jeep down to Munich now, eh?" He nudged Reinhardt with his elbow, the younger man _distinctly_ remembering that Reinhardt had _insisted_ he hadn't needed it, and the elder man grumbled loudly, seeming to want to pout but resisting the urge given that he was the oldest man there.  "The 'I told you so' there aside- some of us can't really be out in the open, myself included.  We're gonna be drawin' no small amount of attention to ourselves anyway, no matter where we go." He scratched the nape of his neck, shrugging. "But to try and stave that off, I can drive back roads with the other 'controversial' members. Winston can come with, keep me on the straight n' narrow in case y'all think I need it." With a wide grin, Jesse pat the gorilla on the back, and Winston sighed.  

"Very well." Winston agreed, not really wanting to argue with Jesse over something that made sense. Truth be told, he would have much rather ridden with Tracer, but the British woman would have told him he had to get to know the others eventually, and he also wouldn't have fit in the car that her old friends at the bike shop had given her. Lena had pulled some strings with an old flame of hers in Germany, and it had paid off, _naturally_.  The girl was infectiously happy and very charismatic, and very, very good at flirting.  

"So, Hana, Lúcio and Zarya will be taking back roads with McCree and Winston." Angela agreed easily, easily picking up on who the 'controversial' members were before anyone else had figured it out, making Hana moan in disapproval at being placed with the cowboy. "McCree, you're trustworthy enough with the wheel, but that leaves the omnics who still need to be kept out of sight, along with Fareeha and Satya."

"And me." 76 spoke up from the back, shrugging. A few backwards glances were given to him, and McCree snickered as the older man avoided the gazes of the group, some of whom still questioned his place there. "Stealing things doesn't exactly endear me to authorities." He reminded them in a gruff voice.  The mask did enough to hide his identity, and so some of the younger members snorted derisively at the old man who they thought no more than a criminal.  In actuality, he was none other than the presumed dead Jack Morrison, so it was always funny when younger, non-Overwatch generation people brushed him off so casually, or otherwise regarded him as a vigilante.

"Rat and me are going on my chopper- solo." Roadhog mentioned briefly in his usual deep, gravelly voice, as he walked through the room, carrying his and Junkrat's equipment, with Junkrat hot on his heels. "76, you know how to contact us."

76 nodded, before sitting down with his arms folded. He had exchanged his PJs for his usual uniform a while back, and despite how he had a coffee in his hands, 76 didn't remove his mask. McCree thought it was honestly sort of weird that he refused to take it off, especially since it left him vulnerable to mean quips from newer members, but such was life.  It wouldn't be difficult to get the young kids to not address him as Jack if they knew what he'd been through, but 76 just preferred to skip that conversation altogether.  

"It makes sense that one criminal would be able to find the other." Satya murmured hotly, holding the icepack to her eye from where she had gotten a black eye earlier during her fight with Lúcio and Fareeha.  She maintained a rather ugly expression of dislike for the chaos that was the newly reformed Overwatch, and 76 tensed in front of her at the cruel words.  McCree barely bit down on his tongue to avoid outing 76 as Jack Morrison, but that was more for Jack's sake than hers. 

"I will drive the RV then. I saw enough of the traffic tickets that Genji received during his last stint with Overwatch to know better than to let him drive, and Reinhardt, you would hardly fit in the seat…" Angela remarked as she nursed her coffee, skipping over Symmetra's comment entirely, and both Genji and Reinhardt looked awkward. A Mercy without her morning espresso was a Mercy without mercy. "Torbjörn, since you can't really reach the pedals, you will be my navigator for the trip south. Reinhardt and the larger Omnic have to be in the back, and I assume that we'd be able to fit the other Omnic there as well, and wherever we put Zenyatta, Genji will likely be as well. That leaves you still in need of a ride, 76."

"Lena, your car only holds 4, right?" 76 asked to confirm, and the pilot paused in thought, before she nodded.

"Yeah, my friend got her hands on a race car for me. I'll probably get to Ilios far before anyone else does- in record time!" Tracer grinned, packing up her clothes and weapons into the rather small trunk. McCree rolled his eyes at the use of 'friend'. He'd seen the clothes that Lena had left the house in, the young woman going out to have a fun night after the chaotic evening in the Wilhelm estate, coming back with hickeys, wearing both a bright smile and her shirt on backwards, and a hello from their mutual friend, Tracer's girlfriend, Emily.

"Lena will drive the other girls, then. And I'll stick with you lot." 76 shrugged. "Best for me to be out of sight anyway. If I need to switch, we can do so easily enough on the road."

McCree easily picked up the hint there that if Satya and Fareeha started to go at it again, he'd be willing to move so that they wouldn't call attention to the authorities. He was still good old peacekeeper Morrison to his core, even after all he'd been through.

See, 76 didn't really like being called 'Jack Morrison,' just like Roadhog didn't like being called by his original name. He'd tolerated it for a few days as the Original team used it in hushed, reverent tones, before he admitted that it was a bad reminder of things that he couldn't change, and he tended to disassociate a bit every now and again if those things overcame his present surroundings.

It had only taken one offhand comment from Junkrat that the soldier type man had understood them, and they understood him the first time they accidently "set him off" that they understood his reasons for it.  None of the original team, hell, none of them who had any military service or had fought omnics had to ask what 'set off' meant.

PTSD and the like were all too common amongst their kind.  Many of the new members might not get it, 76 pointed out, so other members hadn't included them to the secret that Jack Morrison had survived. Everyone had their battle scars, and the most they could do was respect his choice to remain hidden. It wasn't a topic that they avoided, so much as treaded lightly on. After all, none of them were perfect, and all of them had experience with mental troubles.  Mercy was insistent that 76 needed therapy, but the man had refused it every time she'd brought it up.

"That name...it makes me think back to the day _he_ died." 76 had been eventually coaxed into saying with Reinhardt's careful questioning, and the German soldier understood. That day had a rather complicated set of emotions tangled up in its memory- betrayal, fear, anger, sadness, regret, mourning, and hatred… and while it wasn't easy for any of them to remember what Reyes had done to them, it was probably harder for 76, the man who had been the target of Reyes' work to destroy Overwatch and everything they had stood for.

Those same complicated feelings around the last day Overwatch had both Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison amongst them, also explained why Jesse hadn't approached him much. After he'd arrived, he overheard Angela telling 76, _it hurts him to think you left him too, out of choice._

But really- it was _fine_. McCree was a grown ass, almost 40 year old man with his big boy pants on, and yeah, while finding out that the man you thought had died had in reality just tossed Jesse to the side like a used condom was hardly a _nice_ sensation, he was _used_ to being thrown away when people were done with him. Mercy didn't need to poke her nose in where it didn't belong. So Jesse had convinced himself that no, he wouldn't crawl back to Jack Morrison now. Uh- _uh_. That dog wasn't gonna hunt. Not then, not ever.

"I could use some assistance in getting the robot into the RV." Reinhardt admitted as McCree watched from afar, his harsh accent snapping McCree out of wherever his mind had run off to. "It doesn't listen to me."

Torbjörn shook his head, his chest near-imperceptibly moving in a chuckle. "It does what it wants, old man. The trick is making it want what you want."  With that, the engineer walked over to where the two omnics, Zenyatta and the Bastion unit were talking- or, where Zenyatta was talking, and the other omnic was cheerfully beeping as though it was understood. Perhaps the other could actually understand it, but as far as Jesse knew, no one had asked Zenyatta what he was able to glean from the other robot.  

"Heya, big fella." Torbjörn tapped against the metal, the larger machine turning its red gaze on him, tilting it's 'head' much like a dog would.  If McCree didn't remember those units destroying the area around his family home as a kid, he might have found it cute. "Have you ever been inside an RV? It's a truck, but it has a kitchen, a little sitting area, and hell, a bed. We have one now. Wouldja like to see it?"

There was some excited beeping, and the Bastion unit stood up, tweeting for its bird friend to follow, and then it looked to Torbjörn expectantly. The older man gestured to the robot with a told you so air to his general expression, and a smirk on his face.  The entire group had...so many questions as to how a man who hated omnics had come to be so affectionate with this one in particular, a bastion unit even, but none could refute his point that somehow, this one, with its bird friend and guardian, was different than the rest of its fallen kind.

After a moment more, he grabbed his red serape off of the back of a chair in the dining room, patting Reinhardt's shoulder as he passed him by, getting ready to leave, and going to stand by Angela.

"Don't rub it in." Reinhardt muttered lowly after seeing the grin Jesse had on his face, scratching the nape of his neck in embarrassment as he grabbed his almost comically small duffle bag from the table. Off duty Reinhardt was almost always seen wearing sweaters and jeans, though the real question was where on earth the giant bought them. McCree had always wondered, but hadn't ever asked.

76 shrugged casually, gesturing for Reinhardt to get in after the bastion unit had done so and set up in the corner. "You're too big to get in later. So in with the omnic you go, old man."  76 was at least on friendly ground with Reinhardt, and didn't exactly want to follow after a bastion around an unguarded corner.  Even though it wasn't necessarily in his voice that he didn't trust it, it was in the crease in his forehead, and the tenseness of his shoulders.  McCree would know better than most on how to read him, and he squeezed his coffee cup some.  

Both Mercy and McCree snorted as Reinhardt prepared to argue, before he gave in preemptively, knowing that despite how he didn't agree with the idea, the truth was there was no way he'd be able to get in later, since the big door was going to be stuffed with items and the little door wasn't meant for someone of his size.

"At least let me go to the bathroom first." He mumbled, mildly upset at essentially being considered cargo.

XXXXX

As he'd been able to leave before the rest of them, given that'd he would need to get a head start to get to anywhere around the same time as them, since Jesse was driving the long way through Europe to Ilios, with Hana riding shotgun, and Lúcio suffering in the back between Winston and Zarya.

Almost the whole ride had been in silence, Aleksandra catching up on some sleep as Winston fiddled with some sorta tech, Lúcio having his headphones on loud to hear his music over McCree's country songs, while Hana played video games as Jesse drove onward.

Since Hana's video game had died sometime late in the evening, as the 10 hour trip to the hotel between Munich and Ilios was far too long a drive for her gaming device to last, she had resolved to ask as many questions as she could about the original members as possible.

And that had led Hana to ask Jesse McCree this-

"My god, you guys had to have been so horny! I can't imagine living in the same area and not being able to do anything about it." She made a face. "Did you guys… ever sleep with each other?"

Jesse only laughed, but Winston looked uncomfortable. "That's about right, living in close quarters meant it was hard to get some, but we found ways. To be honest, in the original Overwatch, I'm 99% certain that we all fucked each other at some point. Now, the circumstances, enjoyment, and number of repeat episodes varies greatly amongst us all, but I don't think there's anyone on the old team I didn't sleep with."

"Wait, wait a second. That means you fucked _Torbjörn_." Lúcio pointed out, eyes bulging.  

McCree shrugged, smiling lightly. He hadn't realized that the girl's questions had drawn the other's attention from his music, but he figured this was a good a time as any for some team bonding. "Well, don't knock it till you try it. The old phrase was always been what a man lacks in length...he makes up in width. It's true in his stature, after all."

"Gross. What about the _robot_?" Hana stuck her tongue out in disgust at his previous answer, and McCree laughed at the girl's face, with her eagerness not even hampered as she pressed on.

"Genji?" He snorted, rolling his eyes. "You'd be surprised how versatile he is though, and he's not really _fully_ robotic…how much of a robot he is…. well, that's nothing I'm saying."

Lúcio kept going, even as Winston covered his face and Zarya groaned a bit. "So there are those two, but isn't Tracer a lesbian?"

McCree laughed louder, shaking his head. "I was _completely_ hammered, and Lena told me after we both vomited that I look _very_ convincing in a dress and that she topped anyway. She's also mentioned to me that it's one of her biggest regrets."

"Then Reinhardt, and _Mercy_?" Hana asked, shaking her head in shock. "My god, how big is Reinhardt's…"

McCree snickered, "Can't always kiss and tell buckos, but yes, both of them. Also, the doc has one _helluva_ bondage kink. Swear she made me forget English, that one. Like I said- _everyone_."

There was only one more member that they hadn't asked about.

All eyes turned to Winston in the backseat, looking even more uncomfortable where the questions were going to fall. Both Hana and Lúcio look to Jesse for answers, and he swallowed thickly.

Winston made eye contact with him. Zarya looked on in shock.

After a moment of silence, Jesse answers. "No, not Winston." And yet, somehow, they all know he's lying.

Hana made the first movement, shouting loudly- "HE FUCKED THE GORILLA!" before she began screaming, grabbing her phone and immediately livetweeting the event as Winston covered his face in utter embarrassment and shame, and McCree stared at the phone, surprised that she had managed to pull it out that quickly.

"GUYS GAYCOWBOY YIFFED SCIENCEFURRY!" Hana shouted as she typed. "Holy _shit_!"

Jesse only took a second longer to stare in shock, before he shot the phone out of her hand. "I did _not_ fuck the gorilla." (He fucked the gorilla.) "And even if I did, I was probably completely drunk." (He was entirely sober) "- I didn't know what I was asking for." (He knew exactly what he was asking for). "And I immensely regret the decision." (Doesn't regret it in the slightest.)  Let him be honest, Winston was technically an  _Alien_ , and as a respectable member of New Mexico, he had questions and interests.

"But _Hana_! You need to stop texting people while we're driving! They can track our location, and kids, all 3 of you, jokes aside about the relationships we older Overwatch people had, y'all have no relations to us, and if you're caught with us, it'll only make it easier for them to convict all of us of _illegal_ Overwatch activity. I'm reminding you of what you agreed to when you joined!  Overwatch is _illegal_. So no more cellphone, Hana."

"You broke it anyway…" Hana murmured, mourning her device. 

Winston and McCree made eye contact again, and the gorilla raised his brow in question. He clearly remembered it correctly, and that it was definitely the other way around. What the kids hadn't picked up yet was that Jesse McCree had been a bottom bitch for most of his time in overwatch.  Then again, Winston should give them a break.  Long gone were the days of twink McCree, because at some point, he'd grown into a full grown  _bear_.  

"This is the exit." McCree rolled his shoulders, yawning a bit as he saw the sign for the city they'd all be resting in. "I need a break from you kids, and a drink. Lúcio, you have a European license, right?" And the kid looked so excited to just be able to get up and walk around that McCree didn't really mind having to get a taxi or ask Winston to pick him up after he got tipsy, or more than.

XXXXX

Jesse McCree, and all of his passengers got out at a random gas station, and Jesse stretched out a bit, cracking his neck. "Kids, stay outta trouble, Lúcio is driving, Winston, you just make sure they don't get caught with their nose where it doesn't belong. Gimme an hour to cool down and then I'll meet y'all at the hotel or I'll give you lot a call. Winston, keep Athena on so you know if I need a ride."

And so, Jesse McCree left the others behind, and walked away from the car, looking around to make sure he'd seen correctly and he'd not have to walk too far. There was the bar he'd spotted across the street, and he sighed in relief.  He pushed his way over, crossing the street with purpose even as Winston and Zarya looked on in disapproval. After he opened the door, and heard it shut behind him, he walked to the bar. "I need a bourbon." He said tiredly, before the bartender handed it to him easily and he sipped at it, the burning sensation a friendly hello to starting the night.

He downed it after a second longer of contemplating what the kids had found out earlier that day. It wasn't that Jesse was ashamed of his behavior, because even though he sort of was, it was still his choice and he didn't regret that he had made it. Sex and other physical pleasures were always something he enjoyed and could throw himself into. It's how he had wound up doing his work after Overwatch had originally fallen. It was more that he hadn't visited those memories in a long time.

None of the kids had asked him if he'd slept with 76, mostly because they didn't realize that he was Jack Morrison. The answer was yes, definitely, but the memories surrounding that were painful.  They'd been bad enough to think back on when Jesse had just thought he was dead, now that he was actually alive...well...

Jesse didn't want to address them just yet.

However, as he finished his first drink, the alcohol warming him from within, Jesse noticed someone to his left, dressed in all black and just sitting with a beer in front of him, not drinking it. The man had a skull mask on, but his outfit gave McCree exactly the kind of image he had thought the other had. It was obviously quite muscular if it was that defined under the leather.  Since he wasn't going to let the still-alive Jack Morrison stop him from doing what he loved to do when he needed to throw wayward emotions into a bottle- having sex- it was a nice distraction.

McCree gave a lopsided grin, rolling his shoulder's back and tilting his hat forward, before he walked over with swagger, winking at him. The man was interesting, if nothing else, and there was an old gay pick up that revolved around truck stops. Certainly, this wasn't a truck stop, but it was rather close to one.

Once he was next to the man in the mask Jesse removed his hat and flashed a flirtatious grin, and mysterious person that had drawn his attention so easily looked to him, seeming unimpressed behind his mask. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" He asked with a head tilt and placed a hand easily on his hip.

The black-clad man looked him up and down, before snorting and shaking his head in derision. "Where? In your nightmares?" However, despite the mildly harsh response, there was a bit of a teasing intonation behind it, tilting his head to the side. Better than outright rejection, if McCree did say so himself. It meant he was probably considering him.

Jesse put one hand on his hip, and rested the other against the wall by the booth the man had been sitting in. "In my fantasies." He winked, and the other snorted even louder, shaking his head. He took it as an invitation to sit down. Though the other tensed, it was almost immediately easy by his first question. "What's yer name, or you gonna keep that a mystery too?"

"…I am known as Reaper." The man, Reaper, revealed with a dark chuckle, seeming to look at him in genuine interest now. Jesse McCree was a notorious flirt, and he was exceedingly good at his job.

"That's no name, but I getcha. So, ' _Reaper'_ , I unno if you know the old adage about gay men in truck stops, but I have a feeling that you do." With that, Jesse turned around with a flirtatious gesture to follow him to a forgotten bathroom, and Reaper got up behind him and did so easily.

Turns out he knew _exactly_ what the old adage was.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> by popular demand, nsfw included.

5 minutes into what the cowboy had called an old adage, and Reaper was having a damn good time of it.  

It was safe to say that McCree had no ungodly idea of who he actually was, and honestly, Reaper didn't know how to feel about it. The foreplay was good, as it had always been.  Jesse was always one who was so eager to play with others, and seeing his face after so long was a bit of a treat, all things considered.  He knew that the younger man had still been alive, but he'd left Overwatch following... the incident, and Reaper hadn't bothered to look deeper for him.  

"Man, spry ain't cha." McCree's thick Western accent came in as he gripped Reaper's groin, making him give a gravely moan of approval, the cowboy's voice both familiar and incredibly welcome. "And here I thought you might jus' be playin along to be nice."

And then there was the fact of how much McCree had changed in the years since they had split.  Physically of course, the man looked to be some sort of cowboy stereotype from a gay porn that Reaper would happily have subscribed to for the bear that was the star.

"I figured I would see why you were so sure of yourself, cowboy." Reaper purred, long since having removed his gloves and now allowing his hands run themselves over McCree's exposed navel, not removing his mask- not ready to reveal himself.  Jesse hadn't changed much at all in terms of personality. He'd always known exactly what he wanted, and he always knew how to get it, especially from Gabriel, though this sexual energy hadn't turned on him in full until they had been older. Gabriel felt a hot mouth against his neck, and so tilted his head back, pleasure rumbling deep within his chest.

But there was some changes- Jesse had grown a bit thinner since his…unofficial exit from Overwatch that was more of a complete disappearance. And as though to match this change in his once-apprentice, Gabriel had become…this.  

But there was no time to think about the horrific creature he'd become. Feeling the flirtatious hands pull down his zipper of his pants in the bathroom sent a thrill through him he'd not felt since the last time…well. He wasn't going to think about that now, much like he wouldn't allow himself to think on what had become of him, or the "incident" that led McCree to vanish into the night like a unwilling hero out of one of the bad Westerns.  A firm hand pulling his cock out of his pants also sent his mind reeling once again, letting him forget the past once more and lay those feelings firmly to rest.

Jesse sank to his knees, running his hands down the front of Reaper's body, resting his hands on his hips as the cowboy wrapped his lips around his cock. Gabriel moaned loudly behind his mask, the thing only muffling it slightly. He felt the familiar twitch of McCree's lips that meant he had to be smirking. In Reaper's defense, it had been 6 years since he'd last been laid.

"Hoo boy. Ain't that interestin'." McCree mentioned off-handedly as he gripped Reaper's hips, and Reaper was suddenly drawn to the fact that…his dick had become smoke. His body was becoming the mist again. Embarrassment flooded through him, and Gabriel tried to pull away, his entire body becoming unstable, even as Jesse gently gripped what parts of him remained solid, holding him still.

"Hey, heya bud…no need to be embarrassed. Heck, I've done loads of things that are worse in the midst of sex. If you need a sec to collect yerself, take it, if you need to stop, then we can be done. But you don't look like you controlled that bud."  McCree reassured, hands holding Gabriel's own tight, holding him in place.

Reaper paused, feeling strangely cared for, since again, it'd been over 6 years since he'd last had sex, and additionally, it was almost like Jesse…well, like he had matured somewhat.  That wasn't hard to think about, considering how much he'd cooled off since he'd first picked him up as a feisty 17 year old gang member.  It'd been 20 years now since then, hadn't it?  Something like that.

"I am fine. My condition can be…hard to control if my emotions get out of hand." He allowed himself to admit that weakness, before he allowed his body to take full form again- not wanting to give this up now.

"Maybe I should let you call the shots then." McCree pointed out in his arousal-thickened accent, pulling down his pants and grabbing some lube out of his pocket. "Or…better yet, show you why ya gotta stay solid for a sec. Or a few more. I ain't _really_  all that picky, but I do tend to enjoy it if my partners can last more than a mo'."

Gabriel felt his throat go dry as McCree rubbed his hands with lube, before he shimmed out of his pants, long since having removed his _ridiculous_ belt. And he reached his hands behind him, bent over the edge of the sink as he began to masturbate and stretch himself out. "Huh bad boy? Ya gonna, heh, _reap_ what you sow?" Jesse's voice, teasing him, had become breathy as he stimulated himself, driving his fingers into himself. " _Nnngh_ … I ain't gonna say it later, but I do have a bit of a _thing_ for men in leather."

And that signalled the end of his ability to hold himself back, as Reaper shook off his insecurities and took the lube from McCree's free hand, rubbing it on his own hands and then on his dick, sticking his semi-corporal fingers deep inside of him. Jesse gave a shout of approval, hands leaving his ass and going to hold onto the sink's faucet.

Reaper was a mess of skin and mist and sweat, but Jesse's pleasured, muffled shouts, the man biting into his serape to avoid getting yelled at by the staff at the bar, kept Gabriel tied enough to the present to really get into the moment, and pull his pants down enough to properly straddle McCree, and spread his ass cheeks to ram inside him.

The two got lost in each other, one of Reaper's hands gripping Jesse's hips and the other entangled in his hair, the two moving in messy synchronized motions as they got lost in each other as they had before things had fallen apart. When Reaper finally lost control and came inside of Jesse, the younger man waited patiently for Reaper to pull away before he flipped onto his back, using paper towels to wipe his ass. The cowboy grinned, popping a pill into his mouth, and handing one of them to Reaper. "I'm clean, but I understand if you're concerned. It's an after sex thing I keep on hand. Useful in preventing most STDs if you happen to have come into contact with one."

Reaper took it more to be polite, knowing that he was clean as well. Jesse nodded, yawning. "Man, that was definitely interesting. I kept feelin' you disappear inside of me, but then coming back with a vengeance, deeper than I thought you'd be. I'll be feeling that in the morning, eh?"

"…I've not had sex since the accident that caused this." Reaper murmured.

"Huh." Jesse gave a lopsided grin, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. "An accident did that?"  He took a long drag on the thing, a habit that Gabriel hadn't ever been able to stop in the younger man.  "Well, you know, when I was younger, I was off in a real bad place.  Was a real nasty piece of work to match that, too.  My Pa had died, I was on my own, and I didn't really care about anything no more."

Gabriel's stomach, which had been feeling awfully fuzzy and warm post-sex, now dropped, and he felt cold.

"A man I once really lo-…" Jesse seemed to notice his choice of words about the same time that Reaper did, and Reaper swallowed some unpleasant feeling thickly as Jesse looked away, scratching the nape of his neck in embarrassment, becoming a bit more subdued, a strange emotion on McCree's usually confident face. "… _Admired_ …well, he was the one who set me back on the straight n' narrow. Offered me a spot with him n' his friends in my darkest times, and well, now he's not here anymore. However, I figure I need to keep him alive _somehow_ , even if it's just in my memory."

Jesse stood, wiping away the rest of their mess, before pulling up his pants and putting his belt back on. As he dressed, Reaper did the same, but in a more subdued motion. Jesse…he'd been talking about Gabriel. He'd been about to say that he had loved _Gabriel_.  Something about that itched inside of him.  It was something Reaper _couldn't_ place.  

The guilt of what he had done rested within him, filling him with a sort of noxious sadness. He'd never been able to figure out where McCree had gone after the explosion in Switzerland, but he'd seen headlines every now and again about the vigilante, still trying to do the good work that they had once done together. Jesse… he's left him behind, just like he'd left behind all the rest, but he'd never thought that McCree had actually thought that highly of him. McCree had slept with them all, even Morrison. Hell, if the rumors had been right, even _Winston_.

And now they had fucked, and Jesse had no idea that he, Gabriel, was still alive. That he, Gabriel, the one who had disappeared, the one who had abandoned him, had heard that rather touching confession. Jesse McCree licked his lips nervously, laughing a bit.

"Yanno, we've been restarting…well, I can't really call it what it used to be called- cameras in here n' all- but a couple of us are restarting the group that really did set me back on the right path. And yanno? We could really use a guy like you on it."

And for the first time in very long time, Gabriel Reyes stood there, truly thinking back on if he'd made the right decision, and wondering what on earth he could do now. He had known that this was McCree, and knew now that McCree had said that to him under the assumption that he wasn't a dead man walking.  Jesse didn't recognize him. None of them would. Winston and Tracer would know him as Reaper, and the only one who would know it was truly Gabriel Reyes beneath the mask…was the one who had done this to him.

Could he just…rejoin? Forget his vendetta, as all the people who had caused him to be overlooked and cast aside were dead, and make himself a new life- not as a vengeful spirit, but as just a man with a terrible accident and an interesting talent?

Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a bullet crashed through the small window at the top of the men's room. Both looked upwards in surprise as Widowmaker crashed through the hole she had made, her heels clacking on the tile floor as she landed.

She aimed her assault rifle at McCree at the same time that Jesse pulled out his pistol and had it trained between her eyes. But Jesse wasn't her true prey, and though she maintained her threatening aim on Jesse, her eyes flitted to Reaper. "While I had heard you were a fan of _booty calls_ with a certain cowboy during your stint in during  _Overwatch_ ," Her French accent was harsh, her glowing amber eyes staring deep into Reaper's, "Talon had sent you on a scouting mission against _Overwatch_ , not having you _fuck_ a member of them in a small bathroom in a bar in a town in the middle of nowhere. Or do you no longer wish to have your revenge, _Reyes_?"

And just like that, the thought flew out of his head-  _Overwatch had ruined his life, destroyed all his meaningful relationships, and had left him in this monstrous state to die alone.  How could he have forgotten that so easily?_

XXXXX

While he hadn't been surprised that Widowmaker had been on his tail, the words that had come out of her had caused McCree's heart to freeze over and his stomach to drop to his feet and truly left him reeling for a grip on his understanding of how the world worked.  

"…Gabriel?" He murmured, his brown eyes flitting to him, as he took Reaper in once more, no longer seeing the innocent, interesting stranger, but instead seeing the small similarities the man had to his ex-lover and ex-friend- the one that he had thought to be dead, killed in Switzerland.  But Jack Morrison had survived.  Was it too far of a leap to assume that Gabriel had as well?  They were made from the same stuff, and if one had survived, it increased the likelihood of the other surviving as well.

When Reaper didn't say anything, it became that much more damning, and it was like the world dropped from beneath him and his brow creased as warring emotions fury and sorrow battled within him. "Gabe…? That's…that's you? You…you lived, huh?" He laughed, inappropriately responding out of surprise and the complexity of his emotions, softly, his heart beating too fast. "And you heard everything that I said.  Is it funny then, Gabe, seeing me and _fucking_ me just like you used to, making me think that…that I was possibly able to help you? Is it _funny_? Are you _mocking_ me?"

Widowmaker said nothing, but the edges of her lips had quirked upwards into a sly smile, and Jesse retrained his gun on her, clicking off the safety as a threat- he wasn't so distracted as to let her kill him because he ignored her presence. He wasn't to be messed with, especially not now. Especially not when he had started working through that mess of feelings he'd have and ignored because what was the use in addressing them if Gabriel Reyes had been _dead,_ and he'd started going through that mess because he thought it was time to move on, being that it'd been 6 years.  Especially that 

Except he _wasn't_ dead.

"I _mourned_ you!" He shouted, angry, his upset growing now that the shock was wearing off. "I…I, did I mean _nothing_ to you? That's it isn't it. It's a big joke." He laughed, hysterical, running his hand through his hair, gripping his hat tightly against his chest. "I'm a big joke to you, aren't I? Just an easy lay. I can't believe this. I can't believe _you_." His aim at the Widowmaker became shaky, as Jesse debated shooting Gabriel right between the eyes. His vision had practically gone red.

He stared a moment longer, his gun pointed at Widowmaker, his aim hesitating, her gun trained on him, and Jesse knew that if he tried to shoot Reaper out of anger, Widowmaker would be free to shoot him.  And that was probably her goal.  To make him angry enough to shoot Gabe and then be able to take him out.  And Gabriel Reyes stood in the middle, seeming to be debating his options, utterly silent, before his hand twitched for his gun.

Jesse didn't wait to see who he'd point it at. He used his flashbang, and stunned them both. And then he left, running with his proverbial tail between his legs, his hand clutched tightly around his gun and his heart somehow shred to pieces once more. If Gabriel wanted to choose the bad side, far be it from Jesse McCree to get in his way. He'd let him stew in it for as long as he liked, because the Lord above knew that Jesse would have nothing to do with him any longer. And he was actually running.

At some point he registered that he'd found the hotel, and that Lúcio and Hana had been downstairs getting food at the store.

"Duuude, you look so pissed! What happened?" Hana asked, rushing over carrying a few bags of chips while Lúcio seemed to understand that he kind of wanted some space and hang back a bit more, carrying a few boxes of pizza behind her.

"Not now." He answered succinctly and sincerely, before going back into the store the two younger members had just left. He needed alcohol, far more than he'd had at the bar. Enough that he'd had trouble remembering the hot tears that he'd been holding back and the finer details of the confession of love and mourning to the man he thought had been dead the next morning. "I'll meet you kids upstairs."

At the store, he bought all of the bottles of bourbon and whiskey that they had. He had to have looked ridiculously upset, since the clerk told him to take it easy. He had to have given the man a too-large tip, since the man didn't say anything else.

He finally came upstairs, where Winston and Hana looked at him nervously, Hana and Lúcio obviously had told the gorilla what they had seen. But Jesse wasn't having any of it. He held up his hand, shaking his head as he walked past. Not now. He didn't want to admit it now. In truth, he never wanted to admit it.

He went into his private room, and locked the door behind him. He plopped down on the floor, with the bottles of alcohol beside him, and popped open a bottle of whiskey, taking a deep gulp and letting the burning feeling of the strong alcohol punish him.

Because more than anything, Jesse McCree regretted leaving Reyes there, and he regretted letting Gabriel Reyes destroy Overwatch, and he regretted not saying anything about it before and he regretted saying anything about it at all and he regretted letting Gabriel Reyes appearing now, of all times, make him admit the things that he had avoided thinking about for this long, even if it was just to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

As annoying as McCree's country karaoke had been in the car when he'd been sober and had a decent voice, it became 2000% more grating on everyone's nerves after he had consumed however much alcohol he'd brought to his room and could no longer carry a tune. He had also grown rather annoyingly loud, and since the hotel staff had arrived to relay complaints from other customers, the others had resolved to unlock his door through force.

At the moment, he was singing what would have been a very soulful version of What Hurts the Most, if he was able to control how loud his voice was. And maybe it'd help if he wasn't crying so hard or blew his nose.

Though Zarya had offered to just break down the damn thing so they wouldn't have to listen to his warbled songs that were broken up by sobs, Winston had casually reminded her that she technically wasn't supposed to be with them and breaking down doors was generally frowned upon by the already irritated hotel staff. And so Hana decided to attempt to break in through some sneaker methods.

"McCree! We have _pizza_." Hana cheerfully shouted through the door after she smelt the alcohol, and the singing finally ceased- a blessing to all of their ears.

There was a shuffling, and then a thump. It sounded like he'd tried to stand and then utterly, completely failed. Hana sighed loudly, wishing that hotel rooms were easier to break into without damaging stuff.

"Winston, have you gotten a hold of Mercy yet!" The young girl asked while folding her arms, ignoring how Lúcio snickered at her bunny slippers.

"Not yet, no." Winston muttered, sounding extremely upset about that. 

There was another thud, this time against the door. It startled Hana, but it seemed like McCree had finally managed to unlock the door, and the only thing she had been able to do after seeing the mess he'd made in his room was to shout a few surprised curses in Korean. Lúcio went in before her, knocking over a few empty bottles as Jesse lay in a heap on the floor, looking utterly exhausted, and very much wasted.

"He's _trashed_." Lúcio gleefully announced to her in a faux-scandalized tone, thinking that Jesse was far too out of it to hear him. "I really gotta know now what he saw that made him so upset!"  

"They left me." Jesse mumbled beneath his breath, and there was a hiccup, before a complete wail started back up, all of them flinching at the noise- and a quick glare was cast from Hana to Lúcio. "They left me! Reyes and Morrison! Left me like the useless piece of ass I am, just a _fuck_ to enjoy, and yeah, I enjoy fucks too but _Jesus,_ I-I have a _heart!"_ That had gone from 0-100 really fast, and the only two who knew that either of those people was alive were Winston and Zarya. Aleksandra had been lured in by the prospect of working with the person that had helped save her Russian homeland, Jack Morrison.

Lúcio and Hana only shared a brief, confused look before she sat down with him, placing the box of pizza in front of him and opening it with a quiet, "I hope you're as okay with sausage on pizza?" Lúcio giggled again, honestly amused with the whole situation.  

That didn't change the fact that none of them knew what to do, and McCree was just barely consoled by the pizza, looking like a raccoon made into road kill. 

Winston pulled him onto his lap eventually, patting his shoulder gently as he could "…there? There?" He tried to comfort him, and McCree sobbed quietly.

"Kids, you two go try and find out where Mercy is." Winston murmured quietly, rubbing his head quietly. Winston had never seen Jesse like this, completely out of control and upset. But Winston did know that this was the result of the loss of Jack and Gabriel, and feelings being brought to the surface.

"Yo. I found Tracer." Lúcio came back in cheerfully not too long after, the British woman trailing behind with a happy grin, carrying a water bottle. At least she knew more about Jesse's habits than he did.

"He'll thank you lot in the morning for not leaving him locked in there without any water." Lena mentioned. "Now shoo. I know I _look_ young, but I do know _mostly_ how to handle the over-emotional cowboy."

Winston thanked her once Lúcio and Hana had been finally shooed out of the room, the two refusing to leave because they wanted to know what had made him so upset too, and had been instructed to go find out where Mercy was . Thankfully, the other members of the reformed Overwatch- despite how Zarya found him annoying- understood that Jesse was rather upset and wouldn't particularly like having photos taken of himself at such a low point.

Lena was sitting next to Winston, stroking McCree's hair as she helped him sip water without drowning in it by propping him up. "Now Jesse love, what is the matter? I've never seen you this upset!" Tracer remarked, trying to sound cheerful even as she worried for him.

Winston gave a short shake of his head, trying to be discreet but also tell her to _not_ mention 76. But Tracer, for as kind as she was, wasn't ever really great at subtleties. She made a surprised face, before nodding emphatically, holding the glass of water to the side as she got his attention.

"McCree, would talking to 76 some help at all? From what I understand, you're upset that he-."

Winston put his face into one of his palms as Jesse shouted at maximum volume, startling Tracer and causing the man to wobble. "I DON'T WANNA SEE ANYONE WHO'S LEFT ME BEHIND LIKE A BROKEN CHAIR! I'M NO ONE'S USED CONDOM!"

And then his snot-covered face buried itself back into Winston's fur, and Tracer just sets a glass of water down in confusion and worry. The man was just babbling now, about how a not really mysterious _they_ had left him, and that he was alone all over again, since his old gang sure as hell wasn't there for him anymore. And he seemed to have a bit of a fixation on being considered a used condom or broken chair.

"This cowboy. He disgusts me. From what we gathered, he fucked the enemy and now this."  Zarya piped up, and the confused look on Tracer's face only increased in intensity.

"Um first of all? The enemy fucked me." McCree muttered hotly, the words muffled enough in Winston's fur that only the gorilla and Tracer, who had been leaning over to try and help him sit up and fish away the pistol he'd been flailing around earlier out of his grasp.

Tracer only quietly giggled, since it seemed that some things hadn't changed about McCree since he'd originally left Overwatch.

XXXXX

_Winston and Tracer had been the two to finally track down Jesse McCree. Tracer had been the one to get a tip from one of her bisexual friends in America. While they had figured that he'd been there, given that there was still word of Jesse McCree doing vigilante work on the side of justice, where he had finally turned up was…_

_Well. He had been inside strip club._

_"… What… what are you doing here Jesse?" Winston asked as the two had shown up at the start of his shift, the man wearing a ridiculous 'cowboy' get up, Winston avoiding looking at the bulge of his cock in the tight leather thong beneath his assless chaps, the man wearing only a skimpy leather vest._

_"...Working." McCree answered flatly after a moment. Tracer was trying her very best not to burst into laughter. And Jesse looked uncomfortable with that. "Listen, y'all- this provides great cover for me… and." He took a deep breath, rubbing his face. "I've lost control of my life." He muttered beneath his breath. "But if you can't tell- this is a bad time. Let me finish this routine and meet me in the back."_

_"… Al… alright." Winston stuttered out a beat later, and McCree pushed past them to start his routine. Lena and Winston regrouped, before the two went to the back of the crowd._

_In all the places they had imagined McCree in after he had fucked on off from Overwatch, to see him literally hanging off the pole from his legs and dollar bills stuffed in his thong, the ladies and men there cheering for him to just remove the pants, cat calls going out when he finally did so, was nothing short of a shock._

_"At least he's still in shape." Tracer nudged Winston's pudgy stomach playfully, making the gorilla harrumph, mildly offended. Some of the clubgoers were still staring at Winston, and the gorilla sighed, shaking his head before he told Tracer to make sure Jesse didn't leave without talking to them._

_Lena, naturally, went to the front row and sat down right in front of him, staring him down. McCree, to his credit, looked like he was really trying to not let it bother him. However, once she had pulled out her wallet, and began to throw dollar bills at him, he looked sufficiently bothered._

_After all, she had to embarrass the gay uncle every now and again._

_After finishing his routine, McCree came out back dressed in a tank top that said "Ride it like you stole it," and booty shorts, and gave them a lift of his brow in unimpressed confusion._

_"Okay- what the fuck y'all." He said in a flat tone, putting his hands on his hips, the question really more of a statement than actually asking for an explanation._

_Tracer, easily distractible by the wardrobe choice, asked him first. "Wait…like…did you buy those?" Jesse only shrugged enigmatically._

_"I jus' pick em up off the floor of the changing room." He grinned, folding his arms over his chest._

_"That doesn't make sense- then why are they in your size?" Tracer's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and McCree just grinned at her again._

_"Can you change?" Winston interjected as politely as possible, wanting to keep this on track, but McCree shook his head, taking out a cigar and starting to smoke._

_"No way **Jose**. This is my turf now." He blew a circle of smoke in his face, making the gorilla snort to clear the air._

_"But we're starting the Overwatch program again!" Lena tried to enthuse him, and Jesse snorted, rolling his eyes._

_"Listen, I'm already considered an outlaw, and I like stripping. It's a good cover for my actual vigilante work." He pointed out, gesturing to the club. "They think I'm just a fanboy or somethin', not one of 'em suspect I'm of any relation to the actual McCree."_

_"We think we found Morrison. Alive." Winston threw in knowingly- after all, if there was any real bait that they had to make Jesse interested again, it was the presence of Jack Morrison._

_And low and behold, the statement made him pause. After a second of silent contemplation, he held up a finger in the universal "one second" symbol, before he smashed out his cigar and threw out the butt, walking back into the strip club._

_After a few moments, Jesse walked back out with a duffel bag, and he sighed. "So lookie here. I have my guns and stuff but I need new clothes. I'd meant to go buy some that weren't totally ruined after my last stint, but most of the stores 'round these parts have my face all over their desks."_

_As he walked past Tracer and Winston, the two members staring after him in horror, Tracer snickering loudly as she saw the text written on his pants. "Love, you're not seriously going to see Jack wearing "save a horse, ride a cowboy" booty shorts, are you?"_

_Jesse tossed them a knowing look over his shoulder after a moment. "Naw. I'll save these for after he rides me."_

_The rub was then, as it was now, that it seemed like the distance between Morrison and McCree had become too large for either of them to cross. Jesse had only spoken to him a handful of times, and never alone._

_The first time Jesse saw Jack after returning to Reinhardt Manor, the man had choked, and turned the other direction. It was one thing to see him alive, it was another to think that he'd thought that maybe, he'd be able to go back to how things had once been effortlessly._

_Those who knew McCree best knew that he hadn't even gone through how things had used to be in his head clearly, let alone did he have any idea how impossible it'd be to go back to the way things were for him, or Jack._

_And so the tears made sense to those who knew him best._

XXXXX

"Dr. Zeigler! Thank goodness you've shown up." Tracer answered the door, absolutely exhausted by this point. Mercy had been up late herself, getting food for the rest of the team when Lúcio and Hana had come to her, explaining to her in rapid fire speech that McCree needed to be picked up or sedated (maybe both) or _something_ to help the rest of them sleep.

She'd come over quickly after that, having gathered that McCree was both wasted out of his mind and clinging to his gun like it was his lifeline.

"It's not a problem. Jesse used to be _quite_ a handful on the old team, Tracer, and you're still young.  Unpracticed in the ways of taming a cowboy." She said with a tired smile. She didn't miss the slightly grossed out look on their faces, and wondered what it was Jesse had told them in the car.  "Go to bed you lot, I've got him."

Hana nodded, yawning as she marched off in her cutesy bunny slippers to her and Zarya's own room. Lúcio and Zarya followed shortly after. Tracer and Winston looked completely out of their depth, Tracer still petting Jesse's hair as the man rubbed his face into Winston's fur, the gun indeed clutched rather tightly to Jesse's chest.

"Jesse?" She gently probed, as she sat beside him, moving his limp body onto her lap, the man obviously having been crying for a while now. She sighed, but she had gotten his attention, his red-rimmed eyes focused on her as he sniffled loudly. " _Angela_ …" McCree all but whimpered, the smell of alcohol reeking from him revealing why he seemed not to be able to control the volume he was speaking with. "T-they… _leeeeft._ L-like I'm jus'…just _replaceable_ … I-I _'m_ replace-eeable…" He hiccupped loudly, sobbing again. "Just…. jus' a good _lay_."

Angela only sighed, tapping Jesse on the nose and tricking him into loosening his grip on his gun and taking it. "Mister, I _seem_ to recall that you left us." She pocketed it, before putting the serape McCree always wore over his head, and helping him sit up again, wrapping his arm around her shoulder to help carry his weight. "Overwatch was always a family. It was your family too.  And you chose to leave it, remember?"

"But they _left_ so _I_ leeeeeft…But they're _back_ now… n' they jus' threw me out. L-like m' _worthless_." Jesse wailed as his legs buckled beneath him, and Mercy took a deep breath, calming herself. She didn't have to ask who had obviously left her friend in such a sorry state. And she'd be having serious words with 76 later that night. Honestly, she respected the decision to keep his continued life hidden from the mass public- but to hide it from _them_ \- his friends, and whatever Jesse had been to him? They hadn't ever dated, she thought, but Angela knew that after Gabriel had broken up with Jack, the three had engaged in various couplings of sex, almost like Jesse had been the strange glue that was determined to fix them. He had failed, but perhaps it was because neither of the other two wanted to address why they had broken.

And truth be told- Jesse had been an absolute _mess_ after the explosion in Switzerland. It wasn't something external, like this, but he became quieter. There were less jokes and more prolonged silences. More time with Jesse dancing on the edge that was in and out of Overwatch, and then he'd left. Practically vanished, and no one could find him. None of them had the time or resources to find him as Overwatch fell.  Angela had once begrudged him for it, since none of them had handled the death of Jack Morrison well, but she wasn't one to hold on to that bitterness.

"Come on, up you go." Angela muttered as she pulled him back to his feet, wrapping her arm around his middle and helping him stand, the man's balance all but gone. Jesse stumbled, but seemed to understand what she was going for and grabbing her shoulder for additional support even as he continued to moan about how he was obviously just good for sex, but not for trusting or loving.

"I'll be right back to help you two clean up. I'm going to drop him off in the trailer." She called back to Tracer and Winston, the gorilla giving her the tired thumbs up as Lena went into Jesse's room to start the process of doing just that.

Truly, she didn't know what exactly set off McCree, but she did know that 76 was most likely responsible for it- as the other person who he was talking about was…well, there was a teensy possibility it was his fault, but she still hoped… that he wasn't who she thought, that she hadn't been able to save him. And she was going to have more than _words_ with 76 about this, since she had told the man to address this! To have a discussion with McCree about _why_ he didn't say anything rather than just _assume_ it didn't bother him. 76 had thought he'd already lost everything, when really; he'd thrown away what he'd still had.

Jesse's flushed face still dripped snot and tears, but he was quiet again, much as he had been at the vigil for Jack and Gabriel. His footsteps were unsteady, and he couldn't really keep his head up. She would be confiscating the wine, and for god's sake- she didn't even want to know what his blood-alcohol level was!

They had gotten in later than McCree and his lot had mostly because Angela had to do _all_  of the pit stop shopping after Torbjörn fell asleep, but the RV they had been travelling in was just a bit away from the hotel lot, Lena having purchased space for them.

As the two finally make it outside, Jesse's legs gave out on him as she had tried to help him up the stairs, and Mercy finally settled on just dragging him into the car before she got him to the bed. 76 was still playing Bullshit with the bastion unit and Genji, Zenyatta looking like he was asleep.

The woman narrowed her eyes and gave her most ferocious death glare at 76 even as she kindly helped McCree to his feet once more. The man shivered as though cold, looking behind him to see the two struggling.

"Look what you _did_." She hissed, hugging the _incredibly_ wasted Jesse tighter to her chest even as his entire upper head lolled forward, seeming to be on the blink of passing out.

Instead of looking guilty though, 76 looked alarmed, the man even coming over to help her before she swatted him away. 76 went back to the table as he took it as a hint to make more distance between them. "Lord, Angela, what hit him? I've not seen him all night."

"You've not?" She raised her eyebrow doubtfully. "Then what were you doing earlier?" Mercy gently set McCree down on the bed, Torbjörn waking up because of the commotion and letting McCree have the bed.

"…I needed to clean out my eyes." He murmured awkwardly after a moment. "I just went to the pharmacy to get some things." With that, 76 leaned over, and pulled out the bag for a CVS from beneath the table, the Bastion beeping quietly, its hands trying to investigate what cards 76 had, even as the man slapped them away gently without looking at them.

"Ugh. You're still responsible for this by proxy." Angela muttered, pulling the blankets up over McCree, who had finally seemed to have calmed down enough to pass out. "It's not like the other person he's been crying about is…" And with that, they both paused. "Unless…"

Well, Angela had always known it was a possibility. She had been the one to discover the man's barely breathing body, still trying to free himself in the wreckage of the Swiss headquarters, and in her desperation to not lose one of her two closest friends in the same day…she had done things that most doctors…wouldn't have. But she had also thought that, even though she had done all that, his body hadn't been able to handle it. According to her video feed from the lab, the man had been comatose, before his body had _evaporated_ and the black mist he was drained down the pipes.

"Unless _what_ , Mercy?" 76 asked in a hardened voice, seeming to have come to the correct conclusion. She took a deep breath.

"Reyes… survived the initial blast." Angela revealed slowly, much to the surprise of Torbjörn, Reinhardt and Genji. "And…I did all that I could to save him. More than most did, I imagine. But I thought I had lost you already, Jack. I couldn't even find your body. I didn't want to lose Gabriel too, not after... Someone had to be there for the rest of us, and we all trusted Reyes. But it didn't matter. He hadn't woken out of the coma when…when his body _evaporated_. He became pure mist, and drained away, literally pooling on the floor before going down the pipes in my old lab. I thought him dead anyway, for how on earth could anyone- even Gabriel Reyes- survive…well, becoming literal smoke?"

However, Jack hadn't looked surprised.  "I should have figured out you were the one to patch him up."  He muttered, before he walked away.  "And now he's following us.  Great."

No one followed him.

XXXXX

The next morning met McCree like a family car would hit a deer in headlights. Fast, harsh, but not harsh enough to actually put the poor animal out of its misery in any quick fashion, and then the children would come out and poke at the corpse. His pounding head and nauseous stomach reminded him of exactly how many bottles of whiskey and bourbon he'd had the night before, and his choice of mixing alcohols left him with a particularly nasty hangover.

He groaned a bit, opening his eyes a tad just to see he wasn't in his room any longer. While Jesse might have panicked about that normally, the fact he was honestly still just out of it dulled the strangeness of the seemingly sudden change of surroundings somewhat. Additionally, it seemed like Mercy was asleep next to him, and she seemed unharmed.

Jesse laid there quietly for a few more minutes, wallowing in both self-pity and nausea, before he forced himself to sit up, groaning quietly at the mistake to move too fast, his world sent reeling. After taking in his surroundings a bit more, he realized that he was in the RV. The bastion unit as well as Zenyatta seemed to both be powered off, and Genji was _definitely_ asleep next to them, his head rolled at an awkward angle. Torbjorn and 76 weren't there, though, and McCree figured that they- the cursed morning people- had gone out to get Mercy her offering of espresso and pastries before the beast woke.

The real question was- how on earth did he get down here?

It felt like an eternity before he'd forced himself to actually get out of bed, and shuffle forward. Someone had grabbed a bag of his clothes, and it felt good to get out of the dirty things. Dirty in more than one sense.

But he blocked out those images, too tired to really want to go through with thinking about his actions last night, but he definitely felt grimy. He put on a pair of jeans from the bag, but the shirt, after he put it on, was a bit more…inappropriate. His poncho had apparently been a bib at some point, and definitely needed to be washed, so he settled on wearing the 'cock-a-doodle-do-me" shirt, even if it completely undermined his current level of already-battered self-confidence.

The door to the RV opened, and Tracer poked her head in. She grinned. "Heya bud- look, I know you can hold your liquor on a good day, but what the heck happened last night? You were completely legless."

Jesse felt anger surge through him as he remembered. "Maybe I wanted to be wasted." He growled, his head pounding.

Tracer guarded herself behind the door, and McCree looked to the side a second too late to see Angela rising from her slumber, the blonde medic glaring at him in particular. "McCree. First of all, shut up. I didn't even want to know what your blood alcohol level was to get you that drunk... but don't do that again. I've already kindly thrown away the empty bottles and gave away the rest. But don't. Do that. Again."

She stood, grumbling as Lena came in quietly and gave her the offering- so she had been the sacrificial lamb this time- before helping McCree stand up from the couch, patting him on the back.

"You're probably not hungry, but you should drink some water." Lena cheerfully said, handing him off a bottle and a pill for his headache. "Just a fair warning, apparently you're a right talker, and most of the kids figured out that either Gabriel Reyes, Jack Morrison, or both are alive."

McCree flinched.

"And us, older lot already figured that one out." He flinched again.

"Man, I didn't know you vaped!" Tracer giggled, nudging his side, and though the joke was funny, it hit him hard in the guts. "But that's a good thing, probably- we know more than he does now. Reaper is a man who's been killing old Overwatch agents left and right. And now, we know he's actually-!"

"Tracer…I know you're jus' tryin' to be nice n' helpful…but really." He gave her a tired smile. "I'd rather not…think about that right now."

Lena went awful quiet, and guilt went through him. "I more just said that to warn you. A few of 'em have questions, love, the youngsters and 76 particularly."

"Of course. Well, if they ask…they ain't gettin' any answers." He shook his head, feeling nauseous. "Thanks for the painkillers and the water, Lena…but I think I'm jus' gonna sit down for a while n' just…think."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heeh, well, next chapter is gonna have 76 in it....i got to 4000+ words and i was like.... i need to stop Here.


	4. Chapter 4

There were heavy footsteps thudding from the cement behind him, and Jesse took in a deep breath, prepared to tell the kids to go fuck right off, he wasn't going to say anything on the matter, but when he turned around, he had to pause.

76 stood there, quietly, his mask glowing red over his face. He held up a bottle of pain pills, and flowers, sighing as he sat down next to him. "I didn't realize it bothered you that much. I'm sorry for doing it to you."

Hardly a picture of romance, the flowers looked like they'd been picked on the side of the road, and McCree had to laugh a bit, rubbing his eyes tiredly, before he patted the ground next to himself. 76 came over at the silent invitation, holding out the medicine. Jesse took the bottle out of his hands quietly, staring at the ground.

McCree popped a few more pills and swallowed, before he rubbed the nape of his neck. "Apology accepted, and thanks for the meds- but I'm still…upset? I reckon, but it's hard to explain."  

76 nodded, sighing quietly. "That makes sense, Jess- but I, well... I don't know how to explain what I was thinking.  I didn't think you wanted me around, and so, I gave up on that possibility altogether.  But...if you're willing, I do want to be apart of your life still. And I want to make it up to you somehow."

Jesse licked his lips, staring at the flowers. "Well, how 'bout we start with an explanation. What happened that last day?  I was in America, I found about it because the radio was on, went to that emergency broadcast channel as they immediately assumed that it was a terror attack, but they had announced you two had died."

There was a moment of quiet, and McCree worried that perhaps he'd pushed him too far. But 76 only took in a deep breath. "I suppose you deserve an explanation…" He rubbed the nape of his neck, sighing. "The explosion was set by Reyes. You all know that now. But he did it because he was jealous of me, and hated me. Told me that…I had taken his glory from him, that I'd ruined his life from the second I was given the position as head of Overwatch." He looked down. "And I had some shit of my own that really fucked with me, but I shouldn't have taken out that pain on you and the others. However, depression and bad memories made me think you'd all be better off without me."

Jesse wrapped an arm around 76, and the older man sighed again. "I never told Reyes or you, or anyone really, about my past, before I got pulled into the military. A lot of what Reyes had said that day…well; it mimicked rather closely what my father had told me growing up. Left me in a real nasty spot."  He leaned some against him, those words heavy between them.  Something Jack had never even told  _Gabriel_.  

The two sat in silence, before 76 leaned over and put his head on Jesse's shoulder. "I loved him- so much so that it blinded me when I needed to see clearly. He had broken up with me by then, you know that. But…I still loved him. N' while you and I definitely had _something_ , it wasn't anything like what I'd had with Gabe before it all went to shit...and it wasn't enough.  But that's not your fault, Jesse."

Jesse let out a deep breath, pulling out a cigar and lighting it, nursing it as he thought hard on that, on what _he_ wanted now. "Well, shit, hun, I can't be mad about that. The only thing that bothers me is what we might have been if things had gone a different way, but I can't change the past anymore than you can.  I need some time.  To think about your offer." He blew out a smoke ring, staring at the ground as 76 nodded some, his expression hidden. "But, you're probably here to ask about _him_ , arentcha?"

The silence was telling, but Jesse couldn't even really keep prying after Jack had told him all of that, laid himself bare for Jesse, even said that he wanted whatever bone Jesse was willing to throw him now. He'd not been the one near murdered by an ex, and as said ex was still alive, he probably owed it to Jack to tell him what he could.

"Goes by Reaper now, apparently." He murmured.

"I knew that.  I've run into him a few times."  76 informed him, sighing.  "How'd it go down, though, and what'd you notice about him?"

"I didn't recognize 'em. Widowmaker came in and ousted him to me. We were in such a spot that I imagine if he had wanted to kill me, he easily could have, but he didn't. He also didn't seem to have a great handle on himself, though- when he got, mmmm, _overexcited_ \- he became smoke. Pickpocketing him for a condom led me to find that the guy has absolutely no money on him, but since he's with Talon, apparently, that might not be an issue for travelling. And it seems like he's following us."

76 nodded after a moment. "Thank you, Jesse." He murmured, going off to do his own thing, as per usual. Jesse hadn't been the only one to notice that there had been a severe personality change since he'd come back as Soldier 76, but he was perhaps the first to realize how profound an effect the fall of Overwatch had had on Jack, multiplied by the culprit of his attempted murder.

XXXXX

Coming back to Overwatch hadn't been easy for him. Talking about what he was feeling wasn't easy for him. Talking about his past was certainly almost impossible, even now. He'd never done it before.  He'd tried to, once, and that had blown up in his face.  Quite literally.

Jesse's shoulder had been nice to lay on for a second, the younger man a casual reminder that should he choose to reach out, he wouldn't have to keep going down this path alone. After Gabriel had broken up with him, 76 had thought cruelly that McCree would have been happy- he'd finally be able to cross their names off his little 'list'. And yet, he didn't seem to be happy in the slightest.  In fact, he'd done everything he could to try and put things back together, and had managed to, for a time.

Jack had never spent much time with McCree before the break up, given that Jesse was Blackwatch, and therefore, Reyes' turf. After a few things happened, though, it seemed like he'd made a more earnest effort to get to know him.  And it had worked, because now there was that aching little nib in his chest shouting at him to go back to Jesse.

Talking to Angela as 76 had revealed that in actuality, if Jesse had just been 'achievement hunting' as he jokingly called it, then he would have slept with each of them once, or perhaps twice. Repeat performances were rare unless the lover was particularly good, and they almost always happened on Jesse's whims.  

He knew that hadn't been the way it was between them. Jesse had slept with him whenever Jack had asked, and had been extremely insistent on a threesome between him, Jack and Gabriel. By the time Overwatch fell, Jack would have considered him a good friend and a good lover, but… they could have been more. He'd never asked, kept his heart carefully out of the mixture after Gabriel had hurt him so badly, but by the end of it, Jesse McCree had allegedly done the impossible. He was staying afterward, for cuddling.

Angela whistled when 76 had told him that. "He was always one and done with most of us. Jesse wasn't much one for cuddling, but… I think he had to have cared about you. I know he cared about Gabriel, deeply, perhaps even lovingly. And you didn't see him…after the explosion." She'd tried to tell 76.

He had resisted the urge to laugh at the time. She'd not seen _him_ after the explosion. He'd not been in any state to be with others. He remembered it clearly, the bright light engulfing Gabriel from behind and then launching him far out of the Swiss base, into the mountainside and into the snow. He'd vanished into the forest.

_Body sore, he knew he couldn't keep walking. It was unfortunate how his body was so… tired._

_He all but collapsed to his knees, his adrenaline having failed him after what had seemed like forever. Jack Morrison, at the very end of his strength…who knew that could happen? He certainly had never thought of it as an option, and yet…here he was. After a moment, Jack went the rest of the way down, unable to stop it anymore._

_He laughed after he met the snow again with his face. The places where the fires of the explosion had licked his skin burned on his chest, his chest that was heaving from the prolonged strain of escaping while severely injured, his eyes barely able to see five feet in front of him and his vision growing blurrier by the second, blood still dripping from where he'd landed as well from all the minor shrapnel injuries._

_After a second, he took out his last biotic field, and planted it on the ground, curled up around it. "Lord in Heaven." He muttered, curled up on the floor as blood ran down his face, some of it getting in his eyes. It had been from shrapnel in the explosion. Gabriel had been in its range, but Morrison had just been launched out amongst the metal and burning wood. He might have damaged the nerves to his eyes even, given the placement to the scars. "Goddamned_ _**traitor** _ _." The words were indignant, but the feeling behind them was still raw. However, he shouldn't begrudge Gabe too much anymore- after all, the poor sunvabitch was dead now- and his Momma always told him not to hate the dead._

_Momma also told him never to hurt the ones you love, something that apparently it Gabe's mother hadn't taught him._

_He stopped himself there, forcing himself to sit up. Jack wasn't about to let himself sink that low, to such hateful thoughts. Not about someone he'd loved so much._

_They overcame him anyway, reminding him that there was no point. Calloused hands gripping the front of the shirt of a too-thin boy, telling him that this was his entire fault came back sharply, ringing in his ears. Or was that the explosion?_

_Jack didn't know anything anymore, lying down on the cool grass, his own blood soaking his clothes. It'd been decades since he'd seen his father last, the man having died in the omnic crisis, and good riddance. But at the same time, it was hard to completely shove away the images, and though he'd buried them a long time before, they still came out in force._

_He was the weak little boy again, too thin, wearing his mother's clothes because there wasn't anything else in the small broken house in Indiana, and getting punched in the face because his father accused him of being a queer._

_**This is all your fault.** _

_The words rang in his head. His father and Reyes both._

_When he was 18, he left the house with a bag of all his belongings and joined the army. He was scooped up by the super soldier program because he had been young, and a few of the scientists felt he was kindly enough to deserve it. In reality they'd wanted a lab rat with no one powerful enough behind them who could find out about the truth should something go wrong in the experiments.  When the experiment had been a success, and he'd lobbed himself to fame, he'd re-hashed his image.  It was true, he was from a farm, and it was true that he was from Indiana.  But the plan to live in Indiana his whole life was something that made him seem more 'down to earth'.  He'd gone with it the moment the scientists told him he'd be seen as a better leader if he left his true past behind him.  Like he was shedding away dead skin._

_**You did this to yourself.** _ _It was an accidental parallel, but a parallel nonetheless. Gabe, a man he had once been on the road to marry had sneered down at him and punched him in the gut, almost exactly where he'd shot him only seconds before. His father, kicking the boy that had tried to fight back and stop him from hurting momma._

_**JACK, GET BACK HERE!** _

_The voices of his father and Reyes had overlapped, his father a looming figure just as Reyes had been, striking fear into his heart and trying to kill him. His small legs hadn't been able to run fast, and though he knew he could run faster now, Reyes was moving quicker than him._

_**You don't deserve what you were given.** _ _Reyes had told him._ _**Weakling** _ _._

 _**Weakling**_ _, his father had spat as he had come home from a fight that had left him with a black eye._ _**You don't even deserve to come home if you let those kids do that to you.** _

" _Weakling," Jack Morrison whispered, clutching his wound as a reminder of the man who had created them, and where the ghosts of old ones still lived. He'd torn his family apart twice now, he thought with a grim smile. Just by his presence. He'd destroyed his family just by existing._

_And just before he passed out, Jack Morrison wondered if things would be better for those he loved if he just stopped being Jack Morrison._

That, of course, would be too simple an explanation. He'd never told anyone about his past. Not even Gabe. Suicide had been a thought for a few days after the incident, but after all that he'd done to survive, it felt cheap. His body soldiered on, just as it had every day since the explosion, and every day since he'd become a super-soldier, telling Gabriel Reyes, an older officer, he was scared of needles, and every day since he'd left home for good, and every day since the day he was old enough to understand that the only one who could look out for himself was himself.

76 had survived.

And it wasn't like he'd just magically wished his old self away, and it had vanished. No. It was a process of decay, of withering, of bleach pouring over Jack Morrison and leaving nothing else in his place. His hair had gone fully white only a few weeks after the explosion, and he had to keep cleaning his eyes. He had about a five-foot radius of vision now, and that was being generous to his failing eyes.

At some point, when police had begun chasing him, referring to him as Soldier: 76 from the moniker on his back as well as the fact he had obviously been army at some point, it had become his. The silence in his life that came when your friends all thought you were dead allowed him to forget the weak man that had been Jack Morrison.

He didn't know when precisely the full change had happened, but by the time he visited his grave, he was convinced that Jack Morrison _was_ dead. His voice was gravelly, in part from inhaling the smoke at the Swiss base, in part because of prolonged disuse. He wasn't actively trying to not speak, but he was alone. It was easy to let Jack Morrison die if he was alone all the time.

After a while, he began to respond to 76, and introduce himself as it.

When he'd rejoined Overwatch, after being outed by Mercy, the woman honestly hitting him upside the head for daring to think they'd be better off without him, he'd allowed them to call him Jack for a few days. Tracer and Winston, Reinhardt, and Torbjörn had all called him Jack, and yet…every time they'd done so, it was a rush of cold blood to the head, and if there was enough stress...well.

His hands would shake and he would see the ghost of Gabriel Reyes, taunting him, reminding him that Reyes had suffered, and that he'd meant for Jack to suffer instead, to die. He'd lose his grasp on reality and be back in the fires of the base as he and Reyes had fought tooth and nail, to the death. He'd occasionally had to be sedated so that he didn't hurt himself or others. Mercy would stroke his hair until he slept, telling him that he was okay now, that he was safe now.

But as long as he was Jack Morrison to them, he was a danger- to himself. So he'd put a stop to them calling him Jack. _"Jack Morrison did die."_ He'd tell the ghost. _"I'm just a soldier."_

 _You're such a trooper, Jack. My little soldier._ His momma's voice would call out to him from the deepest recesses of his mind, reminding him where he got the moniker to begin with. Reminding him that no matter what he called himself, he couldn't escape the truth.

" _Call me 76."_ He'd murmured, even as his old friends struggled, wondering how they could reach him, how they could help him. The sad part was that he was partially convinced that they _couldn't_. Reyes had crafted a grave for him, and now he was going to lie in it, waiting for the day where life decided he could rest and cover the grave with dirt. He didn't know if things would be any better now if he'd spoken up about his past back then, if he'd gone to Jesse after the explosion. And he couldn't change the past, so he wouldn't dwell on it more than he could help.

As new members showed up, the only ones that got put in the loop were Fareeha and Zarya. Both had their experiences with Jack that would have outed 76 anyway. McCree seemed to notice the distance that had grown between them the moment he'd arrived and seen him. He'd come the moment he knew that he was there, and yet…he never seemed to find the courage to speak to him, just as 76 hadn't found the courage to say anything to Jesse.

And now Gabriel Reyes was still alive, no longer just a ghost that haunted 76's nightmares and his waking moments when he lost himself in the feral version of himself that was his enhancements. He'd known it for about a year or so, the two running into each other and fighting each time.  Each time, it felt like 76 lost more of himself, or who he used to be.  Reaper would taunt him by calling him _Jack_ and tell him of how he'd meant to kill him.  

Mercy's diagnosis of his condition was grim. It was impossible to separate out what symptoms PTSD caused and what the long-term effects of the super-soldier serum caused. She had no idea how to treat it, but it was clear that she would take a hard-liner policy on not calling him Jack. They couldn't risk him losing his grip on reality in battle. The knowledge he was Jack Morrison once would be kept amongst the older members as well as the ones who knew him from before.

He got out his phone, and contacted Roadhog, another man who understood his inability to go by his actual name. Roadhog still owed him a favor or a few.

"I need you to look into some things for me." He murmured, voice dark, cleaning his guns. Perhaps he'd be able to finally rest if he ended the monster that Gabriel had become fair and square.

XXXXX

Later that day, Tracer came to find and tell him there was to be a meeting between all former Overwatch members. It was a Secret Meeting in a fucking hotel room, and not for the first time, Jesse wondered how his life became this chaotic.

"Is 76 coming?" Winston asked, and Tracer gave a huff.

"No! Old man said he'd be taking things on himself." She rolled her eyes. "But that aside- how on earth do we find Reaper?  We know he's following us now and, wait- was Lacroix there too, Jesse?"

The group turned to McCree, to see him lighting his cigar in a no smoking room. Reinhardt confiscated it and put it in a pocket. McCree huffed, before he tried to place who the _fuck_ Lacroix was again. Then it hit him.

"Ah. Amelié. The blue skinned alien looking boob lady, uh, Widowbitch?" A giggle went through Tracer, and Reinhardt was definitely trying hard to maintain a straight face. Mercy just rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Widowmaker." She answered sarcastically, still waiting for a response. 

"Yes, she was there. She outed Gabriel to McCree." Winston said, adjusting his glasses and coughing a bit.

"Okay, Winston, what the fuck. How on earth do you know all this…?" Jesse asked, scratching his hair. He was 99% certain he'd not told anyone about the finer details…unless…

The gorilla rolled his eyes and snorted. "Jesse, do I really have to tell you- you tend to _over share_ when you're that inebriated." Ah. So, Jesse'd told him too much information, and that was one of the more helpful bits of it, judging from the unimpressed look on Winston's face. At least Jesse then had the decency to look embarrassed.

"You all know that the youngest members, uhm, Lúcio and Hana, are right outside, correct?" Mei piped up, curiously looking at the door.

Torbjörn nodded. "It's at… _you-know-who's_ request that we don't… let them or the other ones with no connection to us into all our secrets-specifically the ones surrounding… _you know what_."

Genji snorted. Zenyatta hadn't been allowed in because he wasn't an old member, but the monk had already figured out 76's secret. "He is not even here, can we not speak openly?"

"Best get more practice in." Mercy smiled. "In not saying his name or over-sharing, as Winston kindly put it. Jesse, it was only because Tracer and I were on double duty that the kids didn't go peeking into 76's past trying to see who he was. But that issue aside- we need to find out a way to draw out Reyes and Widowmaker, so hopefully we can begin tracking them as much as they are tracking us."

"Could we try to bait them?" Winston asked, scratching his chin. "We know they're tracking us…potentially if we go somewhere that we'll be at an advantage in, they'll follow us, correct?"

"Yes, I do believe that would work. But with what could we bait them with? McCree's fine ass?" Genji asked with a snort. "It's not like they'd charge into an ambush."

Winston and Tracer turned.

"Hey, Jesse." Lena said, and the cowboy felt all eyes in the room turn on him.

"What?" He asked, nervousness building in his stomach. He didn't really like where this was going.

"Do you still have connections to stripping?" Tracer asked innocently, even as Angela's face turned bright red, and most of the other members had to snicker quietly.

Somewhere deep in his soul, Jesse McCree felt like this was heavenly punishment for all of his sins, or just cruel and unusual punishment. Or perhaps, it was just payback for the time that Jesse told on her when she had sex in the kitchen in Gibraltar with a cute girl from Spain all those years ago. Lena didn't really age- it made some sense that she'd hold onto grudges for so long. But at the same time, he had to grumble. Must all his secrets come to light all in one night?

"...Yes." He answered belatedly, rubbing his temples.

Tracer gestured to him as though incredibly pleased with herself, and McCree screams to himself.

"However much I hadn't ever wanted to know your hobbies, Jesse, that would be the perfect kind setup." Mei noted kindly, if slightly weirded out. "They'd hardly expect an ambush in a strip club."

"So Jesse, would you like to strip for a night?" Reinhardt asked him excitedly, definitely a bit too eager to get involved in an ambush. To be fair, Jesse remembered how sad the old man had been when they'd benched him for good back when Overwatch did exist. This was probably going to end in a fight, and Reinhardt knew it.

Did Jesse actually want to fight Reyes? Now that was a good question.

"Um, well I was still stripping until a few weeks ago." He admitted lamely. "It was a cover. I went by Justin McCree, claiming to just be a fan. But, listen, if Imma gonna be bearing my ass like that y'all better actually be on my ass protecting me."

Angela spoke up, her voice sounding off somewhat. "My goodness, I certainly don't know what that feels like…to be so exposed and vulnerable during combat operations and not have any defense…" None of them knew where that came from, but as Angela stared them down, they all had the decency to feel somewhat called out.

"Don't worry, McCree, all of us will be going." Torbjörn nodded, looking thoughtful. "We just can't be easily recognized."

"Disguises will be easy enough to craft." Tracer grinned. "My best friend growing up loved costume designing!"

Jesse hummed, still a bit perplexed by this plan. "Alright, I do feel better knowin' that all of us are coming…but how in God's name are we gonna hide a gorilla in a strip club?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've not been leaving a lot of chapter notes....hm. Well. 
> 
> This fic will be a more of a slow burn rather than a one and done cut deal. I love + appreciate feedback, and I hope you're enjoying this. I include some of the funny stuff, ie, McCree being a stripper so that these old men just dont get too angsty on you lot, but lord knows this will have to get a lot worse before it can start actually getting better. Hopefully you can believe my imaginings of why he gave up the name/why he only goes by 76 these days.
> 
> #protectursupportplayers2k76


	5. Chapter 5

Jesse felt like he really just shouldn't have asked.

"Don't. Say. A word." Winston grit out, sniffling behind the mustache and beard they had on him.

"There is no way they're going fall for this." Satya pointed out flatly as she helped create hard-light shoes for the gorilla, and Jesse happened to agree with the woman's words.

"Winston will be staying toward the back anyway, mostly out of sight." Reinhardt muttered regretfully, holding his helmet tight to his chest and eying the fake nipple piercings disdainfully. "He is the back up, should I be unable to assist you."

Tracer nodded, helping Winston into the tight shirt that made him look straight out of a bad remake of an explorer movie. She had already put on a wig that gave her a false undercut and bright pink hair. Jesse thought those piercings had to be real, and he wondered where she had bought the killer black leather jacket, and where he could get one of them.

Mercy grumbled quietly. "I can't believe I rejoined Overwatch to strip." She said, pulling on the white and black tail uncomfortably, letting Hana help her put on the costume make up.

"Tracer! Make sure to take plenty of photos!" The young girl begged as she helped Angela put in her purple contacts, making puppy eyes at the older woman, who merely laughed and nodded.

"Certainly, Hana. Can't give this opportunity up." She agreed easily, holding her camera tight to herself, before sticking it in the small space where her chronal accelerator separated from her chest slightly. Angela grumbled quietly.

Zenyatta and Genji were off to the side, with Zenyatta and Fareeha helping create the disguise for Genji. "So, as I'm told, Uncle Reyes is alive." Fareeha muttered. "…Bring him to justice for what he did." She said to Genji. Her mother's almost assured death was directly correlated with the fall of Overwatch. And though she knew that 76 was Morrison… Well, she definitely didn't quite know what to make with him. He was a criminal worth 10 million dollars, and a man she had looked up to as a kid, and technically speaking, her 'uncle' as well.

"Justice is defined by the hand that holds it." Zenyatta responded cryptically as ever, something that the damn bot had told _him_ before. Jesse didn't really get the monk, but if he made Genji feel good about himself again, he couldn't be that bad a guy.

See, of course McCree had gone achievement hunting with Genji. He was a robot practically from the neck down. Mercy maintained the guy still had a functioning human heart and lungs, but apparently his stomach and digestive system were basically ruined, leaving him having only the mildest of foods to eat- if that. Mercy had done him a favor, and recreated genitalia for him, and allegedly even froze what sperm he had in him at the time. (Apparently suffocation is a great way to get someone off, and the man on his deathbed had had an erection from the struggle to breath).

Well, that had been the story Reyes had told him. It might have been a joke, might not have been. He'd have to remember to ask him that when they saw him, at some point.

But that aside- Genji had been _real_ pissy about everything back in the original Overwatch- Ana had once joked about he was the phrase those who come by the red eye, embodied, and he'd only lost more of his limbs since the first time he'd . Now, though, when new members called him out about his robotics now, the man seemed at peace with the fact he was more prosthetic than man. If he ever had mentioned it to him, Genji would just mutter in angry Japanese and go brood, or take out his anger on training with people. And if Zenyatta could get past that big ol' _fuck off_ sign on Genji's head, to get him to take like fifty chill pills, McCree would take his word for what it was worth.

"Aaaand…pose!" Lúcio grinned, taking a selfie with Genji. "I unno why you guys are doing this, but I'm just gonna take a bunch of photos." To help Lucio keep looking like he was on tour, he was going to have a small show here, in…well, Serbia, before he had another concert in Ilios, the night before they would take the ship from Angela's old connections.

Reinhardt's assistant and friend, Brigitte was there, helping make arrangements for them all, much to Mercy's disdain. McCree didn't quite know what the woman had against Brigitte, but whatever it was, it wasn't necessarily good. It took a lot to make Mercy feel true disdain. Annoyance, sure, that was an everyday thing. Anger too, in the form of the monster she was first thing in the morning. But disdain?

It curled on her lips as she was told that Gerard had been killed in his sleep, whenever Genji had told her about killing for honor. It was practically lathered over her when Reinhardt mentioned Brigitte-especially since there were more and more reports of Talon activity in Ilios, which was why they were going there to begin with. And now it was ever so subtly on her face as they plotted to capture Reaper with a trap.

Maybe she held the same opinion on Reyes as Jesse did. They'd have to discuss it at some point, but…for the moment, he'd play along. He needed to get closer to Gabriel at least first, before he could do anything else.

XXXXX

"Well, we're about ready." Tracer said happily, about to head out, and appear as a cute patron. "Lúcio is already outside. Come out into the mess whenever you two are ready."

And with that, Lena disappeared through the door in a blink of blue light.

"Heh, at least you're not in the thong, Mercy." Jesse reminded as they collected themselves in the back room.

His glittery, red thong that read on the back, WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE, that drew Angela's attention, and then it flittered away just as fast, extremely embarrassed. "Really, McCree? I'm surprised you're complaining about that when you had that on hand."

Angela was too recognizable as her usual, blonde, doctor self, so they'd given her a purple wig, and an outfit that made her look like a sexy demon. She was to be immediate help, so she was also going to be in the middle of everything. Working as a stripper.

"Come out whenever you're ready. I gotta get to work." Jesse smiled easily, lathering on his usual flirtatious attitude even as Mercy's face was flushed with embarrassment.

Reinhardt saw them first. His only defense was a red lookalike of his helmet, and a dinky little hammer- it Torbjörn's actually, but it felt like it belonged to a doll with how small it was compared to his large hands. He was sweating, even without a shirt on. His goal was here, allegedly, to distract suspicious parties with his "bara tiddies," as Hana referred to them jokingly as.

Widowmaker and Reaper seemed to spare him a glance, before they went on their way. It…it worked! Reinhardt moved in quietly as a giant could, pointing to them just behind their backs, before he went back to work as the bouncer.

Amazing! It worked!

"Has Overwatch always worked with such little subtlety?" Widowmaker whispered to him, and Reaper shook his head.

"I am also curious as to why they are being so obv-." The two stopped in their tracks. "Why is. McCree on a pole." He asked in a shocked voice, unable to really comprehend anything.

Widowmaker made a face of incredulity, until she saw the sign on the bar. "Overwatch Costume Contest." These were all costumed Overwatch loving clubbers, not an actual threat. She saw multiple people dressed up as the nuisance, a few in gorilla suits, and an interesting faux Angela Ziegler donning purple hair and a sexy demon outfit by the rather convincing McCree wannabe.

She smiled. If there was no threat, then there was time to enjoy herself and the more carnal desires of life.

Angela noticed the feral smile on the woman who approached her, recognizing the blue-skinned fighter as Amelié Lacroix, better known now as the Widowmaker. For a few seconds, she feared for her life, until Widowmaker sat down on her lap and pulled her into a hot kiss. Honestly, she hadn't been prepared for that, and in her shock, she simply allowed it to happen.

Tracer snapped a photo as secretively as possible of the kiss, as well as how Angela was asked to give a lapdance. Hey, she was a grown woman, and as a grown woman, she had desires too. The fact that the masturbation material could also be used as amazing blackmail was just a bonus that reminded her that she needed more photos.

In the middle of all of this, McCree was having a blast. In his mind, he was screaming that he'd left one strip job for another strip job. But in reality, it was nice to have the attention back. And people checking his ass out. His ass was very nice.

But really, as he danced on the pole to Lúcio's music, there was only one person that he wanted to see his ass. Well, maybe two.

The Widowmaker was trying her absolute best to get Mercy to scream mercy, it felt like, her strangely cold skin continuously brushing up against Angela's thighs and her sharp teeth nipping the skin. It wasn't anything that Mercy was absolutely opposed to, but it was strange. "You know, _cherie_ , I'm gonna be here a long while… some time later, we could meet up…get to know each other more…privately." Her voice, usually so frightening and obviously so aroused at the moment sent shivers down Angela's spine. "Can I, perhaps, get your number?"

Angela was screaming inside. Yes, true, she had agreed to this, and it was also true that she too, enjoyed these things, but at the same time... Someone, anyone, please- she really required a convenient out right then. _Are you there, gods? It's me, Angela._ She prayed quietly as she continued to flirt back.

Out of the corner of her eyes she spotted Hana, dressed in some sort of tank top and ridiculous looking outfit. The vest looked familiar- almost like it was something of Junkrat's. Either way, she wasn't supposed to be here, but there Hana was, sitting there, drinking and partying and definitely living it up. And on her right, she spotted Genji, sitting with a few young men and woman all admiring the work he'd done on his costume, how he had to be so skinny underneath the armor to look so convincing as Genji.

Internally, she cursed them all. _And once again, my team leaves me to the dogs._

 _They should be the ones to carry my casket at my funeral when Widowmaker finds me out. So they can let me down ONE. LAST. Time_.

After McCree finished his routine, hanging upside down off the pole, sweating a bit- he was a tad out of practice- he got down, and hopped into the crowd, signing a few dedicated 'fans' who enjoyed his work as Justin McCree. He was allegedly an Internet sensation.

He had spotted Gabriel a long time before the end of the number, since Reinhardt had none too subtly pointed them out- and Jesse did mean he had actually _pointed_ to them- when Widowmaker and Reaper had walked in together. Widowmaker had gone off somewhere, seeming to be getting a lapdance…from…Angela? Okay, that was interesting, and he was definitely going to need to get photos off of Tracer later for future blackmail purposes. But his true prey was finally within his sights.

Reaper was sitting at the bar, staring right at him, but also right through him. He was holding a beer, but just as before, he wasn't planning on removing his mask. That couldn't be a good way to work, seeing as Reaper hadn't had any money on him last time either.

"Heya hot stuff- fancy seein' you again." Jesse popped an easy, flirtatious smile. Reaper relaxed, and seemed to give him his full attention. That was suspicious. Glancing to his six, he noticed in the mirror how Widowmaker was exactly behind him, and McCree's body was blocking Reaper's view of her.

It was almost like… Well, to test it, he moved slightly out of the way of Reaper's line of sight once more, and then out. He watched as Reyes tensed, and then relaxed again.

So it was _definitely_ like Reaper was being watched, and was nervous when he was looking at Widowmaker. But it didn't seem like he even realized what he was doing-like it was an unconscious response. "Alright then, if out here is a bit too loud for you to hear me, how 'bout we go to my room." He said as he noticed all eyes were off of him and Reaper. "Keep your head down." And Jesse grabbed the clawed hand with his own prosthetic, looking forward to make sure that they would make it unnoticed by Mercy and Hana, the girl who wasn't even supposed to be there having chopped off her lovely hair to make a rather cute looking pixie cut.

"Keep quiet Gabe." Jesse said as they passed Genji, the man seeming wholly preoccupied by sake impacting his body harshly.

"Heh, you know I'm a noisy top." Reaper teased him quietly, and Jesse glared behind him.

"I'm fine with sex, but we need to talk first." McCree almost snapped, maintaining decorum if only to buy himself more time alone with Gabriel.

See, McCree hardly thought that conventional traps would work against Reaper. They hadn't seen his abilities in motion quite yet, and even if two of them had, McCree had an inkling that if Reaper truly wanted to kill him back then, he would have after they had sex. Jesse was unprotected then, as he was now. The only reason things had changed was because Widowmaker had shown up.

And that meant he had to test some other things. He couldn't draw a conclusion like that so easily, no matter how tempting it was. He had to have proof.

When he got to his changing room and turned around to lock the door behind them, he saw how Reaper's gaze was fixed upon the grip he had on his hands. He seemed almost transfixed, as though he couldn't believe it was holding him. As though he'd seen a ghost. Heh. Funny, that was.

"…Gabriel?" McCree tried after a minute, making the older man flinch, before shaking himself out of where his mind had run off.

Reaper slowly nodded. "…Yes, Jesse?" He responded, almost like waking up out of a trance. But again, Jesse couldn't draw that conclusion yet, he needed answers, and proof.

"I want some answers, and you're not leaving until I get them." McCree said firmly, making Gabriel tense up a bit once more, now clearly questioning his decision to come so quietly.

And as though Jesse had flipped a switch within him, Reaper's attitude changed. "And how are you going to hold me down?" He pointed out darkly, the edges of him smoking threateningly.

McCree rolled his eyes. "I just want answers Reyes."

"This was a setup." Reaper growled. "You fooled my assigned partner into thinking it was a bunch of people in costumes."

Jesse grabbed his hands before he pulled away too far. "To be honest, yeah, they want to try and catch you. But I just wanted a chance to get close to you again, safely, and without the guard dog." He reasoned. "I locked the door so they can't get in, not so you can't get out."

Reyes seemed to snap out of it at the logic there. It was true, the door was locked from the inside. It'd be easy enough for him to leave. "…You ran off last time." He mentioned belatedly.

The cowboy scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. "Uh, you were the first to run off, hun."

After a moment, Gabriel sighed, and relaxed, putting his hands back by his sides as Jesse sat down with him. "…I can't argue with that. What do you want to talk about?"

"Why are you following Overwatch?" Jesse asked, and the switch went off again.

"Because I'm hunting you down to kill you all." He growled, and Jesse grabbed his hands again, rubbing his fingers against the claws, watching carefully as the man's body language almost instantly lost its aggressive edge, before Jesse helped Gabriel remove the gloves. He pulled Reaper down to kiss his mask softly, not ready to try and remove the mask.

"Then why aren't you killing me?" McCree pointed out, interested in this now since Gabriel's entire body had gone slack. "I'm Overwatch, aren't I?"

Reaper growled again, though as McCree's hands were already on him, stroking his back, it wasn't as intense.

"Stop saying that, will you?" Gabriel muttered, irritated with his choice of words. "You were one of mine, not one of _his_."

"Sure." McCree murmured, "I'll stop saying it for now. And you're right. I was one of yours. That's why I'm here now. Anyway… they want to catch you, but… I think that's a bit extreme. I'm on your side, Gabe. You're a merc, right?" He asked, and Reaper nodded, his chest rumbling in pleasure.

"I want to know- what happened that day? How did you survive?" McCree was pressing him, and Reaper seemed all too happy to answer him.

"Jack was leading us all to ruin, it was why I left him. He was as corrupt as any of the higher ups, him and Wilhelm and Lindholm." He sneered at the names, especially on Jack's. "He asked me to come see him at the Headquarters. He threw a blow at me, and we fought, long and hard, until the man accidentally set off an explosion in the background, blowing us both away." He waved a hand. "They told me that Dr. Ziegler wanted to create a mindless zombie, a puppet to control Overwatch now that Jack was dead of his own foolishness.  But Jack survived as well... and I will personally destroy him for what he's done."

That…was an incredibly different story than what 76 had told him. Hell, than what _anyone_ had told him- from the official reports and the leaks about the truth. Jack and Reinhardt, corrupt? And Mercy, trying to create a zombie? The whole thing reeked of lies. But Reyes was telling them as though it was nothing but the exact truth.

What was going on here?

Reaper looked tense, angry as his explanation became mutterings about the cursed existence the doctor had left him in, and how Jack should be the one suffering now. But Jesse calmed him once more with a simple _shhhh_...

"Calm down, Gabe." He murmured. "It's over now."

"It is- it has been for a long time." Reyes agreed. "So why are you asking me?"

"…" _Good question_. "I had to see…see if you were trustworthy still. If you were still…you." He lied on the spot- when you were on your own since you were a teen, you picked up certain skills quickly. "I want to at least see you casually now and again to keep in touch and start talking about things…from before. I've always been my own person, and…I want to be with you. If you want to work together, I can work from within, if you work on the outside. And we can do what it is you need to."

 _And in the meanwhile, I can also try to figure out what the fuck is going on inside your head,_ Jesse thought to himself, even as Reaper nodded absently, sinking into the embrace and thoroughly enjoying it.

"Together." Reaper agreed almost silently, seeming to have lost his train of thought. How interesting. McCree's simple affections were almost like a glitch in whatever was going through his mind.  What McCree had offered Reaper wasn't even a coherent offer, let alone anything that would be useful.  He had no idea what it was Reaper was even working against.  

But he'd have to look into it now, wouldn't he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now what's going on there.... i do wonder. 
> 
> Confrontations are coming, promise. I also feel like i didt go into enough detail on the stripping piece, but honestly? Im tired but i wanted to finish writing it this chapter. 
> 
> Also, the "you must really like me" pairing is probably going to be mentioned again, but not in a romantic sense. ;;;;)
> 
> I appreciate your comments and your feedback, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story! its about to get very messy...very quickly. And I'm glad I'm managing to drag people down into Poly hell that is Mcreaper76, aka LET THEM BE HAPPY, as my friend points out as I write this.


	6. Chapter 6

"I think that article 'bout you's awful harsh, ain't it?" McCree announced his presence with a grin, leaning on the edge of a countertop, 76 startling almost comically when he realized he was being watched. Jesse pointed to the article's title on the cover of the magazine that 76 was reading- "Fading Glory, on the Trail of Jack Morrison."

"Hmm." 76 said, regaining his composure after realizing it was just Jesse. "They wanted a poster child, and they had one. They wanted a scapegoat, and they had him. Both poster child and scapegoat are dead, and they no longer want it that way. Shoulda thought of that before things went sideways. They can be bitter that I, Soldier 76, don't behave like a puppet for them, but they cannot claim like this man has that they _own_ the concept of me." He sighed. "I'm only a man, and only one man at that. Do they not remember how much I lost? How my critics sang at my demise? I am told that the funeral was the largest candlelight vigil the world's ever seen, but how many of those people actually knew me?"

Jesse gave him an understanding look, knowing well the sensation of being hated and mourned by individuals who really didn't anything at all about you as a person. "I unno, 76. I really don't know."

"Not to mention, they completely butchered my childhood." He shook his head. "I imagine next to no one who actually knew me back then is still around. And the ones that are…well, I wouldn't take their word on it. Most of the childhood that they public thought I had was just a story. One that would make me sound like a hero."

That was an interesting admission. "Yanno, the only thing I ever remember you telling us about was that you were from Indiana, and your folks were dead. The rest I heard, I suppose I picked up from the news."

76 nodded stiffly, and his defensive posture made McCree wonder if perhaps there was something there. "How did the mission go?" He asked brusquely, trying to brush past the line of questions going through Jesse's head. He still wanted to know of course, but Jesse felt like he couldn't push there just yet.

"I am curious, but I ain't gonna ask if it makes you uncomfortable." He responded with a tip of his hat. "And…well, it went about as well as you thought it would, bud. Hard to trap someone made of smoke."

_See, when Mercy had finally managed to ditch Widowmaker, it had been clear that she had been the only one on the objective- trying to capture Reaper. She had gone off to find McCree, only to see him in post-sex bliss, giving her a sly thumbs-up._

" _Did you get him?" She asked, hopeful even though she couldn't see him anywhere in the room. She was really gonna be disappointed when he said it, but he had to tell her some version of the truth._

" _Thought distracting him would help me get 'em. But the guy can turn into literal smoke when I pulled out the handcuffs. Kinda hard to bind 'em when he's incorporeal. Jus' saying." McCree had shrugged, and Mercy looked ready to kill him. Ready to handcuff McCree and dress him as Reaper to just call it a day._

_She had gone out to Reinhardt, only to see that indeed, Widowmaker was gone from her spot where she'd been flirting with the voyeuristic photographer, complimenting her on the Tracer outfit. Lena had been all-too-willing to receive the attention, and had told her that Widowmaker had just been going over to the bar to get a drink, but apparently had ditched them._

_Reaper, too, had vanished, obeying McCree's order to go through the pipes before Jesse unlocked the door. It wasn't a complete loss for Jesse, but it had to be one for the rest of them. Jesse had gotten a number to contact Reaper at, and a date, time and place to meet him again, in Ilios. Overwatch had to lose in the short run, and wait for Jesse to find out more. As long as certain names weren't mentioned, Reaper was fine, gentle and accepting of his affection. It was almost like it was an error in a computer program, like the one that had made an evil Gandhi, but instead it turned someone supposed to be evil into a softy. He couldn't discuss what he thought it was with the rest of the team- it would almost certainly look like rose-colored glasses blinding McCree to the truth of what Gabriel Reyes had become. So he was building up a case, and proof that this theory held water._

_He had changed out of the thong, and put back on the poncho, gently rubbing the soft red fabric, and remembering who he had gotten it from._

_It was for Mama Reyes, and the memories that they had all had. It was for himself, to know the truth. It was for Jack, who it was so clear was absolutely destroyed by Gabe, but it was for Gabe too, since the man had lost everything because of his actions, actions that he no longer remembered doing._

"Will I get photos?" 76 asked jokingly. "I'll feel cheated otherwise."

"You'll have to ask Tracer if she took some of me. She might have been too busy snapping them of Widowmaker getting a lapdance from Angela." Jesse replied teasingly.

76 chortled behind the mask, setting down the magazine, and losing the tough, emotionless body language.

"We're gonna be heading out soon. Reinhardt reminded us that we should keep heading down to Ilios. He doesn't wanna leave Brigitte alone there too long."

"Mmm." 76 hummed in acknowledgement, going to pick up the magazine again. McCree stepped in, making 76 turn to him and stare in suspicion, holding his hand over the magazine.

"…Don't do that to yourself." McCree gently said, going to take the magazine from him, making 76 grab it and pull it to his chest. "Both you and I know they're wrong, so don't let them have that kinda power over you." He finished.

After a moment, 76 handed over the magazine willingly. "… Reading it won't change anything, either." He admitted. "Sometimes I just wish… I dunno. That they admit to holding me to some sort of delusional expectation. But in reality…they get some things right- I am just a bitter old soldier."

Jesse sighed. "Well, I don't think you're just a bitter old soldier. A ghost…well, maybe." He grinned, trying to be playful, and earning a disapproving shake of 76's head, and something that sounded like a wheeze of a chuckle. It was impossible to see his expression, but 76 seemed lighter.

XXXXX

"Ey Roadie. Shouldn't we 'ave offered another of theirs a seat with us?" Junkrat absently thought again, as he thought before, stuffing his things into the sidecar of Roadhog's chopper. "Their lot's gonna be awfully stuffed, and its just the two of us."

"Their business." Roadhog pointed out once more with his usual gravely voice. "The shame is that I can't watch them suffer."

"I can't imagine how terrible the small car is gonna be with those sheilas. First you have chatterbox, inevitably going to try and keep the peace, then you have freezy tits, seems fun but likes given' me the cold shoulder, and finally you have Tattoo and Prissy pants, who hate each other. I agree- on the one hand, I'd love an inside view of that disaster, but on my human hand I'd hate being stuffed in the car!"

Roadhog nodded knowingly. Junkrat had seen the inside of too many trunks, and his days in the Outback on the run hadn't done much for his claustrophobic tendencies. Additionally, to have live explosives in a cramped space was a bit too much of a death wish, even for Junkrat. Junkrat had been born during the omnic crisis, and the only Outback he could remember was the devastated version it became in the aftermath. Not that Roadhog was much better, thought he had his moments.

"I wouldn't mind the fun one riding with us, after she let us help 'er with the outfit last night! Chopped off all that pretty hair o' hers and helped us paint our nails, and then disobeyed a direct order to stay put. What a fun-lovin' misfit! I love it!" Junkrat grinned, at him, and Roadhog nodded in approval. The young girl was a fun addition, and though she had initial misgivings with them, she'd definitely warmed up to Junkrat and Roadhog.

" _I'm Hana!" She'd said last night, a bright smile on her face, holding up some of Fareeha's spare clothes and a pair of scissors. "And I need some help with a disguise and getting past Fareeha and Satya, and I think you two can help!"_

However, now they were on track to get on the road to Ilios. He had gotten a call from Soldier 76 about tracking someone down yesterday as well, and that was where he and Junkrat were headed first. 76 had asked him to track down anything about a man known as "Reaper" who he'd mentioned was tailing them.

More or less, the memories from before Roadhog was Roadhog were gone. Occasionally one would pop to the surface and remind him of times long past. But there were feelings, and there were dreams. His mother was prominent, less of a person and more of an encompassing feeling of familiarity and warmth. His sister was a light in the back of his mind, a young girl with deep brown eyes and a love for science lost to the Omnic Crisis many years ago. But their names and faces were gone.

The reason he had joined Overwatch was because meeting 76 once again had resurfaced memories of a man helping him bury his sister, telling him that he was sorry for his loss, and that he would support his mother no matter what. And that if that person before Roadhog wanted to get clean work-that he would be there.

 _Jack Morrison is a good man_ , the far reaches of his mind had unconsciously recalled as he had woken from unconsciousness.

Additionally, it had endeared _Roadhog_ to him when he easily respected their request to be known as Roadhog and Junkrat, and how he had been able to disarm Junkrat's breakdown in a snap with a calm voice and an easy hug, Junkrat going from panicked to relatively at ease around him. Truth be told, though Junkrat was good about anywhere, being somewhat of a cockroach, around a lot of people he tended to become unstable. With the soldier's help, Junkrat had found a nook in the mansion to grow accustomed to so many individuals being around him, and none of them trying to kill him or Roadhog.

Though they were on the road with him, it was nice to not have to constantly worry about the fuzz on their backs. From one wanted man to another.

The feeble information that he had managed to acquire was an all right way to start a hunt for buried information. "Reaper, Merc, Talon, Gabriel Reyes." He told Junkrat. "Any of those ring a bell?"

"Well, Talon's been after us for a while. They helped up the price on our heads." Junkrat reminded, and Roadhog nodded. "And Reyes…Ey! He was an Overwatch agent. Dead, he is." He looked affronted. "Who'ssit we're after anyway?"

"He's alive, according to the soldier, boss man." Roadhog grumbled. "He said that Gabriel Reyes is now a Merc known as the Reaper, currently employed by Talon. Asked a favor of me to go track down what I can."

"Aight then." Junkrat hummed, nodding. "Seems reasonable!"

XXXXX

This time the road trip was a bit quieter. There were fewer questions since dear Hana was sleeping off her hangover with Genji also in the back seat. Mercy had a fit with Genji over drinking, since the man did not have a functioning liver and had wound up on machines to help him flush out the alcohol. Hana had received a scolding for disobeying orders, but the youngest member of Overwatch had shrugged it off easily. It had been worth it.  Zenyatta had come along at Genji's request, but as McCree didn't know him that well, the omnic seemed to be in some sorta sleep mode.  

So, all in all, McCree was driving Lúcio, Zenyatta, Genji, and Hana. It was a nice change in pace to having Winston and Zarya in the backseat of his Jeep, but it meant that he and Lúcio debated the finer points of music in the relative silence. Jesse thought a lot of it was silly. He was already well aware of the two branches of music- country, and western. He didn't need nothing else.  The only thing the two of them agreed on was that Reinhardt desperately needed to upgrade his tastes.  

There was a rest stop up ahead, and he told Lúcio to wake up a bit, since he was planning on meeting Reaper as they first entered Greece. Lúcio didn't seem opposed to it, taking the opportunity to get into the driver's seat while McCree went into the gas station to purchase fuel, water, and some snacks.

Behind him, there was a ghost, and McCree turned around to see Reaper coming around the corner.

"Didn't think you'd show up." Jesse said, holding a bag of Doritos up. "Hold these, will you? Hana will be so demanding when she gets up, but I have to make sure everyone gets what they want."

"And what about what I want?" Reaper asked, setting down the food and pulling Jesse into the back hallway. After a second of hesitating, Reaper tugged his white mask out of the way so that McCree could see the pale, dead skin and the scars marring his chin, before he pulled it off altogether.

Jesse hadn't been quite ready for it, but took it in with wide eyes. Gabe's eyes were tinged blood red and almost seemed to glow, while his skin had patches of grey on it, but his hair was still lovably curly, and his smile, though considerably more toothy, still looked like the Gabi he had come to know and love.

"Huh, that's a miracle." He whispered, wondering if he'd ever get to see 76's face. He laughed, and Reaper simply growled as he took what he want from Jesse, engulfing the man in a hug and making Jesse sit down with him on a makeshift chair, the boxes of materials in the back hallway. "Greedy, ain'tcha?"

Reaper growled again, hungering for closeness, for affection. It had been too long again, and he'd forgotten what it had felt like to be loved, to be cared for, and to be _safe_ but not alone. McCree was warm, and it was a reminder of all he'd lost.

"What's a miracle?" Gabriel eventually had to ask.

"You showin' me your face. We've met twice before, had sex both times, and you refused then." He chuckled. "And you're showing it now, when you just wanted to cuddle?"

"You were always a good cuddler." Gabriel murmured. "He had agreed with me on that before I ruined it."

"He?" Jesse pressed him for more, curious.

"…I do regret what I did to him- I loved him." He mumbled, not really thinking about what he was saying. "But I couldn't stop myself. So he's gone now. But now you make me feel like he did." Jesse felt the man bury his face in his chest. "I want to feel it again."

Jesse stroked his hair, wondering what this could mean. That was such a soft admittance from Reaper. He'd looked up videos and news articles of him, a psychotic mercenary at best, and at worst, a remorseless, Overwatch hunting terrorist.

"Oh, so what _did_ you do to Jack?" Jesse tried, and the man growled.

"Jack got what he deserved." Reaper's voice had dropped to a threatening baritone, the otherworldly quality sinking into his entire demeanor, his red eyes glowing. "I'll finish things."

Jesse knew that there was no good in telling him that he'd just admitted that he regretted it and couldn't stop himself from doing it. So he simply ran his fingers through Gabriel's hair. "You look like your Mama." Jesse hummed as he distracted Gabriel thoroughly. "Curly hair n' all how long it's gotten to be. But she'd say you're too skinny."

"Mmm…you'll have to change that." Reaper murmured, calming down and letting Jesse praise him. "She always liked you."

"Yeah, she did." Jesse agreed, feeling the slow heartbeat with his hand. He'd have to ask Mercy what the deal with his physiology was now as he gently let Gabriel relax on him. "Man, you've changed a fair bit, haven't you? Any idea what's going on there?"

"My body is constantly decaying and regenerating with aids of some sort of nanite technology- utility fog." He mumbled. "That's what they told me that Zeigler had done to me."

"And who's this they?" McCree asked gently.

It looked like Gabe was about to answer, before he heard a confused, "Uh, Jesse?" Come from behind him.

It was only because Jesse had a hold on Reaper that the older man didn't shoot down Lúcio down in retaliation for being startled. "Heya Lúcio." Jesse whispered, keeping Reaper's attention on himself by holding his head to his chest. "Do you mind…uh- waiting a few minutes out by the register?"

Lúcio stared a second longer, before nodding and turning all the way around, and walking out. He wasn't going to get caught in that mess.

"Looks like we gotta go our separate ways." Jesse said after a moment longer of holding Reaper still, releasing him with a sigh. "Unfortunately. We'll be in Ilios. There's an old bar we used to visit, you remember it right?"

"Mmmm." Reaper agreed, letting Jesse go and standing. He was secretly glad that Jesse had held his head down. He wasn't wearing his mask, and didn't want his face revealed outside of this intimate situation. He put it back on his mask, breathing quietly as it hid himself once more.

"Wait- promise me one thing." Jesse made him pause, and Reaper gestured for him to continue as McCree gripped his hands. "… Don't hurt anyone with me. Okay?"

Gabriel's face, now hidden, was unreadable. But he nodded. "I'll try not to, Jesse. But I can't promise, and I have to go for now. I will see you there in 24 hours."

"I can't wait." McCree nodded, tipping his hat and turning outward to the hall, waving at Lúcio as he gathered back up the items Reaper had set down, Lúcio peeking behind him to try and see where the other was vanishing off to.

"Wasn't that…?" The Brazilian man asked, obviously confused, and Jesse shrugged.

"Yeah. But I've seen him 3 times now. If he wanted to kill us, why didn't he then? Or now? I have a theory developing that helps explain it, but I need more proof for it… so until then, can you please just… _not_ say anything."

Lúcio paused, seeming to weigh his options, before he grinned and gave him the thumbs up. "Sure thing! You just have to give me complete control over the radio!"

XXXXX

To be fair, it was completely worth it to keep the secret safe. He arrived in Ilios as per schedule, Lena and the girls already there, seeming to be hotly debating results of a karaoke battle they'd had in the car.

"It is unjust to claim victory when you speak 7 languages!" Satya argued, and Fareeha only poked out her tongue.

"You never asked how many I spoke when you agreed to the test." Fareeha shrugged, cleaning off the mech she used in battle, the one for out of battle slightly more human like in appearances. She had allegedly lost her arms and legs somewhere a long time ago, but Jesse hadn't been close enough to Ana or her to really ask. "Additionally, Mei can speak 8- just not Arabic."

The RV was just pulling into the lot, and Mercy climbed out, looking exhausted. 76 emerged after her, apparently having been the driver. "Hello there." Jesse called him, going over to help unpack.

"Hey! Guys!" A teenager, the girl most likely being Brigitte, shouted out, and it became overwhelming clear why Mercy drew question to her being anywhere near their battles. Reinhardt had failed to mention she couldn't be over the age of 17! He stared, and so did Hana and Lúcio.

"Man. And people have been giving me crap for joining the fight at 19! She's gotta be 15 or 16!" Hana said, before she shrugged. "Either way! I love you Lúcio, as a friend, but damn! All of the members are like, 6 years older than me! Someone who's in my age group has finally shown up!"

Brigitte was startled as Hana and Lúcio ran over her, the two younger members eagerly talking to her. Jesse couldn't stop staring as Reinhardt ran over and picked her up in a eager hug, the two laughing as they reunited.

"He's her father, apparently." 76's voice broke the silence again, and Jesse snorted.

"Holy shit." McCree said absently, running a hand through his hair as he took off his hat, watching as Brigitte eagerly asked for signatures from Lúcio and Hana.

"She's 15." Mercy came back to the RV, setting her hand on his shoulder. "Far too young to be on the battlefield."

"Holy _shit_." McCree cursed again, this time earning a thwack on the back of the head from Mercy's staff.

"Apparently her mother was eliminated by Talon, and she tracked him down. He offered her a choice to be given the mansion, and she could live there in comfort, or she could accompany him on his…adventures through Europe. Her mother was a mechanic, and so is she."

"Hunh." McCree responded incredibly intelligently.

"Indeed." Angela nodded sagely. "I have to help Bastion and Reinhardt get in the airship relatively unseen, if you want to spend some time with 76." She patted his back, heading back to the RV to begin the laborious process of unloading, though she had hinted none-too-lightly that he should speak to 76 more privately.

76 gave him a shrug, and Jesse grinned. "If you insist, Angie." He replied, wrapping an arm around 76's broad shoulders. "C'mon then, hun."

The older man rolled his head tiredly, as though in sarcastic annoyance.

"How was your ride over?" Jesse asked as they walked away, side by side, and 76 sighed, shrugging.

"It was long. Interesting since the omnic couldn't commutate with anyone well, but it kept beeping meaningfully. The bastion is rather cute, if a bit strange, likes to still pick me up if I do something it thinks is stupid.  It's here for me, after all."

"Mmm." Jesse agreed with a snicker, having witnessed first hand Bastion's tendencies to be protective of Soldier 76. "Wanna get a quick bite to eat before we have to hole up somewhere?"

76 nodded, gesturing to a small hole in the wall restaurant with an open sign in the window, just across the street. "Get me something." He mumbled, going off to hide while he bought something. It was dark out, and since it was drawing close to winter, there was a bit of a chill in the air. But not much, or Jesse would've started complaining a long time ago.

He came back out with gyros, handing one to 76 as the two began walking to the airship. It was awfully nice looking, and Brigitte was already setting up a pillow fort with Hana. There was a veranda where the two sat down, and McCree bit into his meal eagerly. "Yanno, despite how Hana claims that Doritos are the snack of the gods, I don't see it."

76 stared at the sandwich, seeming to have noticed the conundrum he'd laid out for himself. McCree had noticed it back when the man had agreed to get a meal with him.

But instead of going off somewhere, the old man sighed. "Suppose it had to happen at some point." He muttered. "Damn kids, you sure manage to get me stuck in tight spots still, don't you?"

And then Jesse watched as slowly, carefully, Soldier 76 removed the mask that had seemed all but glued to his face the whole time. It wasn't as dramatic as a change as Reaper's had been, but the scars and burns were clear on his form. Shrapnel was actually far more damaging than the explosion had been, apparently. Upon looking at the marks under his eyes and across his cheeks, McCree wondered how he'd survived it.

"Are you blind now?" And 76 snorted, rolling his eyes at the question. Apparently not, since 76 was very obviously looking at him, his familiar blue eyes- if they were a bit more withdrawn- only looking a bit damaged.

"Only in the legal sense." He muttered. "I can see about a 5 foot radius, but my facial nerves and tear ducts no longer work right. I have to clean them out a lot to maintain their functionality. The visor helps make up for the rest."

The man picked up his sandwich, as Jesse took in his features, amazed by how much, and yet…how little he'd changed. Despite the white hair, he'd not aged much, there were wrinkles, and he was far, far too thin, but it wasn't anything terrible.

"The hair's from shock, not from age." 76 informed him between bites, his mouth full of food causing McCree to make a face of disgust.  He'd never adjusted to watching either him or Gabriel devour food like it was running away or something. "You'd not be surprised to hear how stressful a murder attack, surviving an explosion, and being on the run can be."

Jesse laughed at the dry tone used, and reached over to ruffle the white hair. "I'd wondered. I'd figured the voice was from the smoke n' stuff, but you were always younger than Gabe. It had really weirded me out thinking that you had gone grey. Mostly 'cause I met y'all when I was 17, and I'm now only 37- and I was like, how the heckle can someone I've known for 20 years go from looking 30 to 70 in that time?"

76 punched his shoulder lightly as he ate his food, grumbling beneath his breath. "For all you know, I could be 70." 76 pointed out teasingly. "Maybe the soldier-serum made us immortal."

"Bullshit." McCree muttered gruffly. "No way that could be true. You'd be older than Reinhardt, by 9 years. No way. And Gabe was older than you!"  He paused, interested.  "So how old are you anyway?"

The man only smiled enigmatically, making Jesse groan in internal pain, his curiosity biting at the nib to know the truth now.

"We should probably go inside." 76 announced as he stood, grabbing his trash and gesturing for McCree to follow him, putting back on his visor.

"No, really, you have to tell me! Don't leave me hangin' like this!" Jesse called after him, chasing him to try and get an explanation. However, he liked the way 76's laugh sounded, since it seemed so hard fought for him to just get past brooding most of the time.

As the two walked in comfortable silence, 76 eventually had the courage to wrap an arm around McCree's shoulder. Jesse smiled at him, though he was tired. It was nice, having 76 getting closer to him now. It really was. But his mind was plagued by questions of Gabriel, and lord knew that 76 wouldn't react positively to any of Jesse's wandering with Reaper.

Gabriel had two different sides, it felt like. One that was the emotionless terrorist, who could kill a man as soon as look at one, and the one that had crawled onto Jesse's lap, needing affection and attention. He had a pretty solid idea of what was going on with him now.

Jack was a trigger word that made him aggressive, as was Overwatch, and Reaper couldn't consciously recall what he'd truly done, only saying it when he was in aggressive mode or incredibly out of it, and saying something else when he was calmed. And Jesse McCree was like a glitch in the system, which made him wonder if whoever had done it to him- likely Talon- had understood what McCree was to him, or if they'd underestimated McCree's tenacity and willingness to look beyond the surface of things. And if McCree messed with him too much or too fast, then Reaper would become disoriented, and have trouble keeping his thoughts coherent, it felt like.

The question was- how could he get Reaper to trust him enough to have that conversation? Could he alone break whatever had been done to him? Especially considering that Gabriel was under supervision…

He felt 76's grip on him tighten, and he was brought back to the present.

"I miss him sometimes, too." 76 murmured. "Not always, but sometimes, when I'm weak. Is he…?"

"Different? Kind of." McCree agreed, knowing immediately who 76 was referring to. "I don't think he knows what he wants." Jesse mumbled, and 76 nodded, accepting that as the two went back into the airship, heading up into the galley of the ship, where several beds were set up.

"I know what I want, though." 76 murmured, and Jesse understood the words, scoffing as he sat down on 76's bed.

"We're around kids, hun. I'm kinky, but not that kinky." McCree whispered amongst the beds of sleeping travellers.

"Then at least give me this." The older man patted the bed. "I…don't really want to sleep alone tonight…it's been awhile since…I thought about some things."

Jesse nodded, offering him a reassuring smile, before removing his outer clothes, watching quietly as 76 did the same, before the two entangled each other in arms and blankets, 76 clinging to Jesse in his sleep as though the man were his lifeline. And perhaps he was. Perhaps he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's a bit more sappy, the rise before the (first) fall ;)
> 
> Thank you all for reading this! Leave a comment/critique/kudos if it strikes you, as I appreciate feedback and I hunger for approval. Unfortunately, as my word count on this chapter went past 4,000, I didnt really want to add more about the stripping scene here, and I couldn't really chop up this one and the next one any other way that I felt would make sense/leave you guys with a sense of satisfaction.
> 
> There's now been a fair amount of McReaper as well as McCree76, but no Reaper76 quite yet. That's about to change.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning ahead for battle and near-death at the end.

It was honestly about damn time that the kids asked McCree about Jack Morrison.

"What was working under Commander Morrison like?" Lúcio asked Jesse in a hushed, almost reverent tone, making the other kids wake up a bit from the place they'd been on the beach in Greece, pretty much alone as Angela and Fareeha organized food.

It was funny too, since they were all looking expectantly at Jesse, none of them saw Soldier 76 cough suspiciously behind his mask.

"For dessert everyone, I made _Khak_." Fareeha interrupted the conversation rather invitingly as she walked out onto the beach from the ship, humming as she carried a plate of cookies. McCree snickered at the name.

"You made  _cock?_ " Junkrat exclaimed in surprise, and Jesse laughed harder.

"No, they're cookies. For uh, Eid normally right, Fareeha?" Jesse informed the disturbed kids. "Ana used to make them after uh, Ramadan, every now and again. She always had time off then, since it's against Islamic rules to be violent during the holy month. But she'd come back with cookies and lots, and I mean, _lots_ of food."

Fareeha still thwacked Junkrat on the head for the misunderstanding. "Correct, Jesse. I'm surprised you know all that." She also sounded somewhat impressed.

"Gotta know my prey at least a little, right?" He winked, and Fareeha made a face at him. She hated the reminder that he, a man only 5 or so years older than her, had slept with her mother.  "They are tasty though, kids." Jesse vouched as he grabbed one off the plate, Fareeha giving it to Brigitte, the young Greek girl humming as she enjoyed the dessert.  

Truthfully, it was also because his joke of "achievement hunting" actually came from trying to hide his sexual appetite from a young Fareeha.

"Don't avoid the question, Jesse!" Hana complained, coming closer with Lúcio, Brigitte and Junkrat. 76 had been nice enough to duck out once he realized that he was going to have to listen to Jesse's retellings of his own life, but had come back in when he had seen the cookies.  Now he seemed frozen, curious as to what Jesse would say.

"He was… well, he was a good man. Good leader, it was a shame how things ended, really. The smear campaign that the UN practically damn sponsored put him into a rather nasty spot, and as Overwatch disintegrated, so did Jack. I didn't know him much until the end though, but I suppose we did get very close before it all went to shit. But I was Blackwatch, kids, not necessarily Overwatch. I worked under, and was far, far closer to Gabriel Reyes."

"Did you ever sleep with him?" Hana asked, and McCree laughed.

"Like I said before kids: everyone in Overwatch." McCree boasted, looking as Soldier 76 sighed dramatically, rubbing his forehead.

"Then what was 'e like in bed?" Junkrat asked, seeming to have caught on to the fact that Jesse was the weak link in terms of information on the others.

He glanced up at 76, before grinning wider. "Farm boy Morrison? That man could have me tied up and blindfolded in five minutes. He once made me go on a mission with a vibrator up my ass the whole time and trying to perform assassinations is hard when you have a hard on."

Hana, Lúcio, and Junkrat seemed in awe of this. Soldier 76 coughed, and came into the mix. "Look, he's dead. Stop ruining his image, Jesse." His gruff voice startled the kids, but McCree wasn't really frightened by it. Soldier 76 was more embarrassed than actually angry, it was in the slight twitchiness in his shoulders, and the way he avoided Jesse's gaze despite how Jesse literally couldn't see his expression.  

McCree had been about to leave him alone, but then Genji spoke up, having joined them at some point and making the kids wonder where the heck the ninja had come from. "You see, kids, Morrison was not an achievement hunter like Jesse was back in those days. But after his break up with Gabriel, he tried courting me at least five times. After seeing what he did to McCree's neck I decided ultimately not to. I do not have much human skin remaining. I did not wish get hickeys on it." He took a dramatic pause, and Jesse was about to snicker, seeing how 76's forehead was turning red. "It remains a great shame of mine. Who was I to deny a god?"

"Jack Morrison is rolling in his grave," 76 scolded them, staring Genji and McCree down. "And you are all sinners."

"Sure, 76." Jesse shrugged. "But I thought you knew that, _babe_."

"Kids- don't believe a single word that comes out of Jesse's mouth. And Jesse, stop being a bad example."

Junkrat hummed, seeming to be fantasizing. "I mean, from what I've seen in photos n' junk, Morrison was hung! I'd love to have gotten a piece of that myself!" Jesse couldn't help himself, the chuckles at the kids comments as well as 76's chiding made him start to laugh.

"He was monogamous." 76 interrupted grouchily, his hands on his forehead.

"And how do you know that?" Hana interrupted, looking at him curiously.  None of them knew who 76 truly was, even though Jesse was certain they had their theories. 

"Uh." 76 paused, seeming to want to backtrack.

McCree's laughter had reached new heights, as he was laughing to the points his sides hurt. "Monogamous! 76, yes he was, 100%... Morrison was completely... _Monogamous_."

"Kids, go get plates for dinner." Angela came out with dinner finished, sighing softly. "Reinhardt, hurry it up with the table, will you? I have to finish cooking."

"I will be right there!" Reinhardt shouted over as the three youngest members of the Recalled Overwatch and the unofficial mechanic went back into the ship to get the plates and utensils.

"My god! I really wanna know who Dad is now!" Hana shouted, as Lúcio nodded, bouncing on his toes.

"Yeah! No kiddin', he was so defensive over Morrison, and it's _obvious_ he's close with McCree. I woke up this morning and they were _spooning_!  Spooning!" Lúcio pointed out.

"I know!" Brigitte laughed a bit. "Reinhardt thinks he's all secretive with 76's identity, but we've all guessed that he's either Morrison or Reyes."

"But if he's Morrison, then why hasn't he told us?" Lúcio hummed, obviously stumped by that. "There's no point in hiding who he is, if he's Morrison, right?  Jack Morrison was a global hero, if he survived the attack, wouldn't he have come out of hiding?"

"It'd make more sense if the soldier was Reyes, wouldnit?" Junkrat hummed, scratching his ear in confusion. He remembered Roadie had told him that the soldier had wanted them looking into Gabriel Reyes being alive, and the merc Reaper…but what was it that Roadie had said, exactly? That he was alive, and he was looking for the Merc, Reaper? Something like that, surely!

Truth be told- Junkrat's memory wasn't precisely the greatest. That was what Roadhog was for after all.

"Huh." Junkrat hummed. "I actually don't know much about him at all, 'cept he was from California, headed Blackwatch, and was named responsible for killin' Jack Morrison."

"Well, that'd actually fit. We thought that both of them were still alive after the mess with Jesse getting drunk and spilling his guts about how they both left him, and we know that Reyes and Morrison dated…and considering how 76 was just acting about Morrison… He's probably Gabriel, which is also a good reason for why he's not said who he is." Hana rubbed her chin thoughtfully, seeming to be content with that explanation.

"Yeah, seeing as he killed Jack…or did he?" Lúcio hummed, thinking back to when he'd seen McCree and the strange black-coated man curled up, Jesse holding him tight as the older man directed Lúcio out of the way. "What if Jack Morrison was alive as well?"

"Huh?" Brigitte looked surprised at the suggestion, and then rubbed her forehead. "Then where is he?"

"You guys know the person with Talon's blue agent, the one on the news report with Tracer and Winston?" Lúcio asked, and all three of the others nodded. "The one that the other members were hunting down at the strip club with the blue lady?"

"Yeah. He's the Reaper." Junkrat informed them from his research on the man that Soldier 76 had asked him and Roadhog to investigate. "He's a terrorist, appears like a ghost, and kills like the soldier."

"Well, uh, don't tell anyone else, but…McCree met up with the guy, he even had his mask off, but I startled them. Jesse was cuddling with him, talking with him kinda softly. Could the Reaper be…Jack Morrison?" Lúcio suggested, and all of the kids were shocked.

"You know, all sorts of articles suggest that 76 is Morrison." Hana hummed, thinking back to the articles. "But from what I remember, he and Reyes were the same height, as one theorist pointed out. Plus, he'd have to be fucked up from the mess in Switzerland if everyone thought he was _dead_!"

"McCree was asking him about…what had happened to him." Lúcio continued, and Brigitte, Hana, and Junkrat all leaned closer to him to listen. "And Reaper answered that his body has been in a constant state of decay and regeneration ever since Dr. Zeigler- er, Mercy, did it to him, and McCree had just asked who had told him that... after I interrupted them, McCree told me to keep quiet about him talking to Reaper, that he had a theory developing…I think it _could_ be Morrison, and McCree is trying to find out what happened to him…and the others want to catch him, but Jesse doesn't think that'll work."

"Jesse said it himself- that he was closer to Gabriel, aka, _76_ , and he became close to Morrison after he and Gabriel had broken up, right?" Hana concluded, grinning. "So I was right! McCree found out that both of them were alive, and had left him, which is what made him so upset! D-Va One! You guys, zero!"

Lúcio didn't bother telling her that he'd been the one with all the new information to the table. He still had to wonder, though…what had happened to them to set them apart that badly. He trusted Jesse at least somewhat, since the man seemed to have their best interests at heart, and had protected him before.

"Anyway! Keep quiet about it! If McCree finds out I've told you guys any of this, he'll revoke my control of the radio, or worse!" Lúcio complained, and Hana laughed.

"He really does have terrible taste in music too." She agreed with a smile. "We gotta protect him from himself."

XXXXX

Even though Jesse had a promise to meet with Reaper that night, something else happened instead.

It was evening, and the whole crew was enjoying themselves on the beach. Most of the older members stared out to the ocean and reminisced on the things they'd once had. Ilios had once been a favored place for vacations for them, and now, though they were all here, eating and enjoying the company, there was something off.

He'd not get the chance to meet Reaper that night, because in the dying light of the setting sun, Reaper appeared in the shadows, and made Brigitte scream in terror, the girl running to her father and hiding behind his shield, being looked at by Angela behind it.  She'd heard reports, even seem him from afar, but seeing him in action now was disturbing. This wasn't what she'd had in mind when she had saved her friend from death.  This wasn't the person she'd had in mind when she'd saved him from death.

Soldier 76 was quiet as he looked at him, and Reaper stared at him and McCree, his expression hidden beneath his mask. Jesse tried to tell him to knock it off without speaking, making gestures to himself, to the team, to remind Gabriel that this wasn't apart of the deal, but Reaper ignored it.

"I really do have to thank you." His voice, dark and twisted in his current state. "Stupid monkey, you rounded nearly everyone on my list up so easily. And no one's around here to help you either.  Not that they would if they were."  

"You have to be really dumb to think you could take us all on, Reaper." 76 spat out at Reaper, jumping over the table, and pulling Hana and Lúcio with him, before he knocked the table they'd been sitting at on its side for cover.  "Hana, Lúcio, keep your heads _down_." He ordered sharply, even as the two stared at him, before he jumped and ran, going to the other table, where there weren't unprotected members of their party.

"Roadhog!" He shouted, and the Junker came over to him, along with Genji and Fareeha, holding her rocket launcher in her civilian mech gear. "We want him captured." He growled, staring at the Reaper once again.

Reaper didn't even look at Jesse, seeming wholly focused on Soldier 76, taking him in curiously.  

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" He asked, and Reaper growled lowly.  "I heard that Winston really did a number on you the last few times you've fought him."

"The gravecan't hold me." He responded in a cold, gravelly voice, and 76 launched himself at Reaper, while Reaper took advantage of his body's state to escape and reposition just as 76 became super fast as compared to the natural human, his super-soldier body working overtime.  In Egypt, Reaper had taken him by surprise- never again.  

Gunfire rang out as Tracer tried to distract Reaper from his wraith form, and Reinhardt held up his shield to protect the others who weren't constantly armed as the two began their fight. Reaper was using his guns, and 76 looked extremely tempted to take out his pulse rifle, but he wouldn't be able to run as fast if he did so.

In the meanwhile, the two Junkers looked on, Roadhog instructing Junkrat to lay his trap down for Reaper to fall into, and since he seemed wholly occupied on 76 and Tracer…

It happened right as Reaper emerged from his wraith form, seeming unable to hold it for a moment longer, stepping straight onto it and grunting loudly at the pain in his leg.

"Ello there, mate." Junkrat wiggled his fingers in greeting as he drew closer, Mercy going over to 76 and helping him stand, looking on at Reaper with worry in her eyes. "Nice ta meetcha, but I imagine that you're hardly happy to say the same. But cut me some slack, Jack, and who knows? Maybe we'll get along just fine once we see whose really underneath that mask o' yours!"

" _Qué_?" Reaper asked in the sort of off-voice that happened whenever something had derailed his line of thinking, and McCree's heart patted harder as he realized what that was a sign of. Jesse needed to go over, stop this before it progressed. But they actually did have him trapped, before he rubbed his head and muttered that he was dizzy, also in Spanish.

"...Oi, why ya speakin' Spanish?" Junkrat asked him, and Reaper shook his head, focusing on Junkrat now as the rest of Overwatch looked on, even 76 seemed frozen.

"It's…it's my first language." Reaper informed Junkrat, stunned, even as the trap broke and released him, making him gasp as the sharp metal pulled away, leaving black and red blood dripping from his leg that had been caught in it.

The kids all worked the math in their heads, but Junkrat got there first. "No way that Jack Morrison, from Indiana, no way that his first language was Spanish, which means, _fuck_ , we guessed the wrong one was Jack! But that means? That the soldier type…"

Soldier 76 had tensed, just as Angela, Reinhardt, and Jesse all had.

Before anyone could speak, tell them not to do it, Hana looked at him closer. "No, _no_ , 76 _can't_ be Jack Morrison! After all, why wouldn't he have told us? Doesn't he trust us?"  She looked from Reaper, to 76, staring into Soldier 76's eyes.  "Don't _you_ trust us?"

Reaper laughed, the sound sending shivers down Jesse's spine at how differently it sounded now to when they had been alone. "You were so blind to not see that Jack Morrison walked amongst your midst?  Well isn't this convenient.   Already laying such a neat betrayal amongst even your new comrades- perhaps this time they'll learn better than to trust you." Reaper's voice deepened again, in rising hatred.  

Soldier 76 had gone still, before he staggered, gripping his head a bit. Reaper took out his guns, and laughed darkly. "I've been waiting to finish the job for too long, so I will get on with that now."

Murmurs of the name went out around the newest members, and even amongst the old ones as they wondered how this would go down. But the only one who had ever seen what power the name held over Jack…was Angela.  And she watched in wide-eyed horror as his dazed nature went away, and his gaze locked onto Reaper much like Reaper's was locked onto 76.

"Jack Morrison's _dead_ , ghost- or do I have to personally remind you of what you've done." He growled. "I'm just a soldier. But good luck." And with that, it was clear to see to the kids why Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes were both cut of the same material, why they had been so formidable and frightening to those outside of Overwatch.  Jesse remembered the first time he'd seen them fight side-by-side, where it was like watching an oiled machine, or two apex predators hunting for prey together, but now that they were fighting each other, it was downright frightening to see how much fucking stronger they were than the rest of them.

He took his gun out, and it was clear that the metaphorical gloves were off. 76 moved quicker than ever, firing his heavy pulse rifle with frightening accuracy, aiming straight for Reaper's chest, the man having to begin dodging almost immediately since he couldn't go into his incorporeal state again, for one reason or another.

"We have to get the kids out of here!" Angela's alarmed shout put everyone into action, Winston putting up his shield to guard those without weapons. "I hate to say it, but when he's like this…76 can and _will_ hurt himself, and others. Jesse, you stay put, I need to go get some things." And with that, Angela grabbed Zenyatta and Genji from their position watching the chaos in amazement, and ran to the ship.

The moment Reaper stopped to take out new guns was when 76 got close enough to knock him on the head with the butt of his pulse rifle, sending Reaper to the ground, rolling as 76's left swing came so quickly after. However, with 76 so close, Reaper was able to fire off two rounds of his shotguns into 76's stomach, the man grunting in pain as he continued to fire at Reaper, even as he backed away to take less damage while Reaper was taking it continuously.

Reaper's guns were emptied first, and he tossed them to the side, cursing beneath his breath as he went to get out new ones once more, before he stood up to see how 76 was running at him full speed, jumping as he came in with his right hook, hitting Reaper's mask and cracking it, ignoring the crack in his hands as well, before Reaper punched him back. The two rolled, Reaper getting the upper hand and laughing down at 76 as he held down his arms and sat on his stomach, which obviously had to hurt given that 76 had been shot there directly twice.

"I've won _again_." He gloated, the black sockets in his eyes glowing faintly red, going to pull off the mask, before 76 pushed himself past his limit with the gunshots in his body, and pushed Reaper off of him by lifting his hips and pressing as hard as he could against the grip Reaper had on his arms, causing the metal talons on reaper's gloves to dig into his arms and draw blood.

There were no words, just angry, hot breaths and Reaper was thrown off of him and knocked into the side of the ship, the man making a loud, clanging noise as his head left a mark in the wall.

Reaper was obviously surprised too, since as far as Jesse knew, Jack Morrison hadn't even been that physically strong before. He ignored his bleeding wounds, single-minded in his efforts to get back to Reaper.

It was almost like he'd gone feral.

Each blow that came next was more of a dance. Which of them was faster? "Dammit, Jack. Who knew you were hiding all of this from me? It's no wonder you stole it all behind my back if you were hiding so much power." He snarled.

Despite his angry words, Gabriel was _losing_ , even if was just narrowly, the man turning back into wraith form to escape the harsh punch of Jack's fist hitting his mask and likely going to crack it, reforming only seconds later to preserve what little he had left of his stamina.

But 76 watched, and jumped away, before he activated his targeting visor.

Reaper seemed to notice the change in the visor's glow, and he changed his tactics from trying to beat 76, to trying to get out of there. He became a black ghost once more, searching for a way out without completely becoming smoke.

But he couldn't hold that incorporeal form forever.

76 was lost in himself, and _shit_ \- he wasn't aiming to capture Reaper anymore. He was aiming to _kill_ him. And Jesse McCree, only having just got him back, wouldn't let him do that.

"If we want answers, we're going to have to stop 76 from killing Reaper!" He shouted to the other members, and the others nodded as Angela came back outside.

"I had to do this to him when we first found him in Mexico." Angela said as she held up a needle. "But we need to stop him from killing Gabriel. He won't be happy with himself if he does it, and never gets the answers he needs.  We need to block them off, or otherwise distract them."

"I'm on it." Jesse volunteered himself, the man running into combat as Reaper had finally run out of time and began to reform, and 76 was about to shoot into Reaper's exposed form, already locked on.

And Jesse ran in front of Reaper, taking the blow to the chest where Reaper had been supposed to. While it didn't necessarily feel very nice, it would have undoubtedly been a killing blow to Reaper, who stood behind him, panting and bleeding and generally at the end of his stamina, the two breathing heavily as Jesse protected Gabriel from 76's wrath.

Though the fact that Jesse took the shock startled 76 into stumbling, he didn't stop, raising his gun and aiming once more, his tactical visor no longer in use.

Jesse closed his eyes as he prepared himself for death, laughing at the irony of it all. Who would have thought? Jack had threatened him so much as a new member of Blackwatch, telling him to stay away from Gabe, telling him that if he looked at Gabe wrong then Jack would throw him into jail. Certainly, things had changed in the 20 years since then, but he'd never have imagined that Jesse would be the one protecting Gabe from being hurt by Jack.

Death never came.

He opened his eyes, breathing shaking as he realized that 76 was physically being held back. Fareeha had grabbed a hold of his gun, as Reinhardt held him from behind and Torbjörn tried his damnedest to stop him from walking. Even then, it didn't seem to be enough, the man denting the ground as he struggled to free himself from their grasp, not even paying attention to them.

"Holy shit, Jack…" Reaper gasped, and Jesse wheezed in laughter, before he turned and pretended to get a hold on Reaper, the man almost sinking into the hug that looked like a bind from behind. They both heard 76's wordless shouts of barely contained rage, the man obviously still trying to get to him.

"Get out of here. I'll explain later tonight. Promise." Jesse coughed up blood as he tried to protect Reaper with his body, his lips unable to be read by those behind him, and he was too far away to be overheard.

Gabriel didn't have to be told twice- Reaper misted away, his black and red blood dripping onto the ground as McCree faked surprise. 76 howled at the fading man in anger and upset and willed everything his body had to try and chase the phantom, before Angela came up behind him, Reinhardt moving his hands slightly so that she can inject him safely, the three other members keeping him still as she sedated Soldier 76.

Whatever she'd given him didn't take long to start affecting him, thinking about how fast his heartbeat had to be it made sense that it impacted him so quickly. He stumbled, and those who had been holding him back now caught him as he acted as though a bus had hit him. It might as well have, too, seeing how many wounds he'd gotten in his careless, mindless, revenge-seeking state.

Jesse McCree wobbled now that the form of Gabriel beneath him no longer supported him, before he toppled to the ground with a final, breathy, " _Shit_."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw both Lúcio and Zenyatta running- well, the robot was floating- over to him as Mercy held 76 to her chest, running her fingers through his hair and whispering apologies to him as his form struggled in its final moments of rage- Jack seemed to be looking at him, how funny- before she caught him by going to her knees with him.

Black spots made it harder to see everything, Jesse getting tunnel vision as he laughed breathlessly. His Pa had died like this, taking the bullet to his chest to protect his boy from being shot through the head. He wondered to himself if this was what it felt like to die protecting someone else. He wouldn't mind dying like this, because he no longer felt the pain, just the relief that Gabriel had survived and Jack was in good hands.

And so Jesse McCree passed out on the beach in Ilios, his red blood dripping onto the sand with Jack's and Gabe's, the man unable to hear the shouts of Lúcio to hang on just a bit longer or to feel the harmony orb attach itself to him in a last ditch effort to prevent his death, before it was sent back to his master, unable to help a dead man.

He certainly didn't hear the cry of _Heros never die!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd meant to get this done yesterday for 7/6, but it wound up being far longer than I thought it'd be. My outline for it was less than a page long, and it turned into 10 pages. I actually cut out the next scene and pushed it to the next chapter, and that scene was heavily 76 centric.
> 
> So, next chapter we get to see more of what is going on with 76, and McCree is late for a very important date. (for good reason, might I say, since that's probs the first time dr. Ziegler is testing her resurrection tech on a battlefield. of sorts.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter ended on a rather heavy note- i had to update it quickly to help ya'll out. there's a lot of backstory here.

"They're stable now, Dr. Ziegler." Mei commended her as she put a hand on Mercy's shoulder. "You should get some rest."

"I can't believe I let Jesse _die_." Angela whispered, her whole body shaking as she remembered his brown eyes staring at her and 76 from where he'd fallen on the ground, a peaceful smile frozen on his face in death. She remembered being shocked into action, Lúcio and Zenyatta taking the unconscious 76 from her arms as she raised her staff in a final desperate move to save him.

She remembered the golden glow that had surrounded him as he was risen into the air, and then he dropped back down to the earth, making them all hold their breaths in terror for the cowboy. Even those who he annoyed were concerned for him, Fareeha shocked that he had been so terribly injured. Lúcio had approached him, and when he let out a loud sigh of relief, and given them the thumbs up symbol, they all had collectively released that breath of fear. Jesse McCree was still breathing, and even though he was unconscious, the man would go on to annoy them all another day.

"He's not dead now." Satya tried to ease her pained heart, to little avail. "Is that not what counts?"

"I am this team's doctor, and I should have healed Jesse before I helped 76 lie down." She berated herself; rubbing at her reddened, wet eyes. "If I was not able to revive people…then he would be gone. We would have lost him, because I was too distracted to notice how seriously he had been hurt."

Mei gently touched Satya's shoulder. "It's alright, Angie." She tried to comfort her. "We'll be outside, okay. Some of the kids have some minor injuries from cross fire. Come out in 10 minutes or we're going to come in and drag you out. They need to rest."

Mei sounded so positive, so nice then. But, Angela knew the truth- this wasn't the first time she'd failed her friends because she'd been distracted.

_She's been in Switzerland, working in a hospital when the explosion ripped through the air, making the ground shake._

" _Oh my god!" The shouts of everyone around her drew her attention as she ran to the window. "Someone's attacked the Overwatch base!" She looked to the place where she worked in the daytime, and stared at the growing flames and rising smoke, the falling debris with horror and fear rising within her._

_Her doctor instincts kicked in, and Mercy grabbed all of her medical equipment before she ran to one of the helicarriers going to assist in the emergency situation. She prayed to all her gods that her closest friends weren't there, that her kin weren't there. She had already lost so much family in the past few years; she wouldn't be able to bear it if Jack and Gabe both were dead as well!_

_As she was dropped into the chaos, she saw all these people that she knew being carried out on stretchers, bloodied and battered, another familiar face passed by, but that one stared sightlessly into the sky as they put it into a body bag._

_She was never sick from the sight of blood, or the sight of war, seeing how she grew up in the Omnic Crisis, watching as her parents died when she had been a girl, but even she had to lean over and empty her stomach because it was too much._

_As she worked, healing people and bandaging wounds, she had to keep asking- "Has Jack or Gabriel been found?" She'd known they were in town, Angela had seen him only hours before for fucks sake. And she was cursing, because this was terrible, and it looked less like an attack than an inside job the longer they worked. There wasn't enough damage to the outside of the building._

_**"Angie, I'm going to see Gabe."** _ _He'd told her. It was supposed to be a reconciliation- the two had to do_ _**something** _ _to fix the mess Overwatch was quickly becoming. But she'd been too distracted to ask where they were going to be, where they'd be meeting up. Just as Jack had been getting the rough end of the press, so had she. She was accused of keeping her technology to herself, refusing to help the greater good by weaponizing her staff._

 _And sure, Jack had been tired, his blue eyes sort of glazed over in that long lasting exhaustion that came with mental tiredness, his shoulders hunched in sadness. He'd been moping more than usual- Gabe had refused to let him go to his father's funeral. But Jack wasn't ever so tired as to let something like_ _**this** _ _happen under his nose or over his head._

_A few officers came out, and what they held in their hands was damning. Angela's world came to a crashing close, as she saw the small, blue optical enhancer that Jack had been wearing earlier that day._

" _Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes are presumed dead. What I am about to tell you isn't going to become public knowledge, understand?" The man was just a suit from the UN, one that both Jack and Gabe had mocked before. That time now seemed like a past life for how much trouble she had remembering it. "We believe that Gabriel Reyes set off the explosion himself, to kill Jack Morrison. What we can say is that at least he died in the blast as well. The official story is that this was a tragic accident."_

 _And with that, they left, taking Jack's things with him. Angela shook her head. They hadn't found bodies yet! She wasn't going to give up on her family! And after all of them had left, she kept searching through the rubble, determined to find_ _**something** _ _._

_Towards the back, where the sleeping quarters had been, she stepped on a scrap of paper, and looked at it in confusion. It was burnt, it was bloodsoaked, but something in her told her to pick it up. Jack's handwriting was on it, and her heart broke once more. Only a few lines were still legible._

_I love you. I miss you. I need you._

_A sob came out of her mouth. He'd written up the things he'd wanted to say to Reyes, and Gabriel had_ _**killed** _ _him. Her two closest friends, two men that had been together since she'd joined Overwatch, and yes, they'd fallen apart since then, but she would have never imagined…_

_There was a groan, and shaky, wet breaths coming from nearby._

_She'd rushed to it, and gasped in horror as she saw the horrific state he was left in, his eyes fluttering open and closed as he struggled feebly to push debris off of himself, blood pooled around him, along with footprints in the dirt, covered in blood. Had they just left him to die?! What animals!_

_Reading the list once more, she pocketed it. She wouldn't fail Jack. Jack had loved this man, and damn her if she was going to let him die! Jack wouldn't have wanted him to die, Jack and everyone had noticed the change in Gabriel, but Jack just wanted the best for him. She couldn't believe that man, that Gabriel had done this to Overwatch- this place was his home too; she couldn't believe that he'd willingly destroy it all!_

" _Shh, shh…" She soothed him as she used her Valkyrie suit to assist her in lifting the fallen concrete off of Gabriel. "I've got you." She carefully wrapped his wounds in tight gauze, unwilling to let him bleed any further._

" _Jack…" He whispered weakly. "Where's Jack…? I…I needed to…needed to say…" Gabriel's voice was garbled because of the internal bleeding, and she shook her head, rubbing at the burn marks and scars on his face, as she picked him up, glad that Jack had convinced her to start weightlifting all those years ago._

" _It's okay." She'd told him then. "It's okay. Shhh…"_

_She had taken him back to her lab, and he became comatose so quickly after she had put him on life support. She gave him so many blood transfusions, and even when her mind was too tired to function, and she was at the end of her rope, she kept working. She wouldn't let him die._

_She only knew how much she'd done by watching the security cams later, deleting them so that the suits wouldn't ever know that she had rescued Gabriel Reyes when they had left him to die in his own blood. She had lost him for a few minutes, in them she had desperately tried to restart his heart, before she had taken her staff, and tried her experimental technology. There was a yellow flash, that had turned grey, and Gabriel had started to breathe again. His skin turned ashen, and his heart was slow, but he was alive._

_That night, after napping restlessly beside Gabriel, she had called her friends, her family. No one would answer. Not Jesse, not Reinhardt, no one._

_After the body had vanished, still in its coma, she set up a makeshift altar in her lab, lighting the candles, with two additional ones for Gabriel and for Jack…before she had simply broke down._

_And every year since then, she had requested a week off of work to visit the grave in Arlington for Jack, making an altar for him, setting down flowers and rose quartz crystals, praying to her gods to heal his heart._

_Then she would go to California, to the Reyes family's graves. She left flowers on them all, from proud Mama Martha Reyes, to young Julian, killed by Talon along with his mother so soon after Gabriel's death. She left a smooth stone on Gabriel's grave, praying for him to remember the good in himself and others. She didn't know what had happened in Switzerland, but she prayed for him nonetheless._

"Mom, Mei sent me in here to drag you out if need be!" Hana tried being cheery as she poked her head into the makeshift sick bay, but Mercy could see the worry on her face as her gaze flittered over to Jesse and 76.

"Would you like to sit with them?" Angela invited, smiling as she was drawn out of her memories. "They're going to be asleep for awhile longer, but I would feel better if someone was with them if they're going to insist on separating me from my patients."

Hana nodded, eagerly coming over and taking up residence in the chair beside McCree's bed, taking out a cell phone she'd bought in Ilios the day before to play some games. Mercy chuckled lightly at her PJs, obviously having taken some from another member of the crew with how oversized the t-shirt was. The phrase on it made her smile more genuinely. _I fought a bear and all I got was this lousy t-shirt_. It was probably Zarya's.

"I'll be off then, I'm sure they're in capable hands, but if you need help, I'll be with Fareeha, alright dear?" She carefully told her, and Hana gave her the thumbs up without looking up from her cellphone's screen.

As she left the room, she took a second longer, and glanced back at her two friends, sleeping relatively peacefully. She _hadn't_ failed them, Angela reminded herself sharply. They were still here, still breathing and living. Yes, they struggled every now and again, but they were going to be just fine, she had a positive feeling.

XXXXX

_When Jesse had been 13, he'd lost the few precious things he'd had in the world._

_His father, a lovable bear of a man who had loved Jesse with everything in his heart, was accosted at their house. Jesse had been caught somewhere he wasn't supposed to be in. Jesse had been shot in the arm, and had inadvertently led them back to his home in his attempt to just get home, to get to safety._

" _Listen, he didn't mean no harm." His father's Spanish accent was harsh, and they sneered at him._

" _Doesn't matter now what he meant. He was caught on our turf. Hand him over, and we'll let you go, but we need to teach him a lesson." The man, white skinned and dressed in a ridiculous get up, obviously trying to play at bad boy bounty hunter. His accent, originating in the north, gave him away as a kid who was just playing bad._

_Luis DiAngelo McCree wasn't one to have his son threatened._

" _He needs a doctor. You have scared him enough, he's just a boy." Luis pointed out, staying carefully in front of his son, Jesse curled up on the floor behind the door, cowering in his father's shadow. "And you're trespassing now. I'm going to call the cops if you don't leave."_

" _Wrong choice, old man." The other boy, perhaps only 5 or 6 years older than Jesse, sneered. And then he shot off his rounds through his Pa's chest. The man gasped, and Jesse screamed in shock, only to get another shot in his left arm, crying out in pain as the bone broke._

" _Well, I think he's right now. I think you have learned your lesson." The older teen smirked, before he turned and left the father and son bleeding out on their family home._

_Jesse had barely the strength to call 911, his arm screaming in pain._

" _Mi Angelino, it will be alright." His father breathed out, trying to hide his pain. "I'm fine. It doesn't hurt that badly anymore. Is the ambulance on it's way?" His Pa asked, and McCree nodded._

" _They're coming Pa, please, hold on." He begged him through his tears, and Luis gave his son a big smile from his place on the floor. "Please, hold on."_

" _I will, mi Angelino. I promise."_

_He'd heard his father's shaky breathing go quiet only a few minutes later, and Jesse had screamed to the god above as he begged him to bring him back, that Jesse was sorry, that he hadn't wanted his father to be hurt for what he'd done._

_God didn't answer him, and neither did ambulances._

_About an hour after his father had stopped breathing, the ambulance had shown up to their home. "We have two dead." They'd said, almost dispassionately as they took in the scene. Jesse coughed, struggling to stay awake, gripping his bleeding elbow tightly._

" _One dead, one critical." They corrected, the woman rushing to his side. "Hang on kid, we have you now."_

_But you didn't save my Pa. Don't leave him there. He said he'd wait for you. He'd promised. Jesse's thoughts were chaotic, from blood loss, from shock, from pain. Don't leave him there. He promised. He said it didn't hurt._

_He'd said it didn't hurt._

_That night, he was treated, and the next morning, he was told he was fine.  His arm hurt like the devil, but he didn't really have the money to pay for a checkup.  He left the hospital without family, without being questioned by the police.  He'd been 13 years old, and the system had left him behind._

_He'd woken up to the revelation that no one could look out for him, except himself._

_He'd killed that man, who'd then been a son of a wealthy northerner coming to make a living out down South in New Mexico, when the man had been 21, just a year later. Jesse had been invited to the Deadlock gang shortly after that._

_In fact, nothing had really gone right for Jesse, until he'd met Gabriel Reyes at the age of 17._

_So it seemed fitting that he'd die for him, 20 years later, like Luis had died for Jesse. Because that was right…he'd died. He'd taken that shot for Gabriel, and it had gone through his chest. Blood had flooded his lungs and made it hard to breath. But he'd protected the person who he'd gotten in trouble this time, didn't he? So it was worth it._

_Mi Angelino,_ a soft voice called out from the mist that was just outside of his reach, he couldn't see it, but he could feel it, warm and kind and gentle. He was safe here, he felt it, and he was so tired, his eyelids were so heavy.

"Pa?" McCree asked dazedly, wondering if his casting off of religion as an angry teenager had been a mistake. Was he finally going to be with his mother and father?

 _Mi Angelino, wake up_.

Jesse McCree took in a deep gasp of air, shocked and terrified as he opened his eyes again and sat up. He'd been dead. And now he wasn't. He was hooked up to all kinds of machines, and his body screamed against his fast movements after it'd caught up to his fast moving thoughts. His head spun, and he fell back to the bed.

He groaned, rubbing his head as he took everything in. 76 was on the bed next to him, also hooked up, but definitely still asleep. That was right- Angela had been sedating him when he'd…died. He'd told Reaper to leave, to save himself, before he'd fallen into the sand. He'd passed out. And then he'd been…dead? But now he was alive. Strapped to a bed with a bunch of IVs and stuff on him. His head was foggy, and he groaned, feeling the phantom pain where 76 had shot him through the chest, the hole gone.

His heart monitor, which had been going off, was finally calming down. It seemed to be late at night, and the only one he saw in the room was 76, sleeping relatively peacefully on the bed.

So- that had happened.

"Mmm?" There was a sound of a sleepy voice, and Jesse rubbed his eyes to look over and see Hana, who had been sleeping in a corner of the room. "Jesse…? You're awake?"

The relief in her voice was palpable, and honestly, Jesse was a little flattered that someone cared about him so much to be here in the middle of the night with him.

"Yeah, hun, I'm up." Jesse answered her, groaning again. "Damn. That hurt."

"Lúcio said you were gone." She mumbled. "That Dr. Ziegler resurrected you, but there was a moment where you were…dead, like, unable to be saved, dead."

"… sounds about right, kiddo." Jesse mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"You did it for him, didn't you? The others thought you were just trying to stop 76 from doing something he'd regret, but…you were doing it for…Gabriel, the Reaper?" Her voice was a bit confused, a bit unsure. She didn't understand it.

"I…yes." Jesse nodded, before he sighed. "I did."

"Why?" She asked, sounding a bit off, like she was holding back tears.

"Well, one, I wasn't expecting 76 to actually shoot me through the chest, but two…" He sighed again, unsure of how to explain it. "I've already said it, but I hate admitting it. Not many things in my life…went right until I met Gabe, back when I was younger than you, Hana. I really…was close to him…and." He let out a deep breath. "If things had gone differently, I…well. That's not even it. The idiot never seemed to realize I was head over heels for him and Jack…that I had completely fallen for them.  If he did, well, they noticed too late.  I wasn't able to fix what they'd become.  And I…was ruined by the thought of them being gone, just as I was ruined by the idea they just threw me away. And no matter what I did to try and avoid thinking about it…it didn't work." He laughed, unable to believe himself. "The last damn thing I thought about…was that Gabe was safe, and Jack was too.  And I was glad that even if I was dead, they were okay."

Hana got up, the young girl in her PJs, and she came over to his bed, before sitting on the edge of it. She lay down with him, hugging him a bit.

"I'm glad you're okay, you crazy old man." She muttered, concealing her upset. "I would have been very angry with you if you died without passing on all of your secrets to me, the rightful heir."

Jesse laughed, even as Hana flushed, and the older man ruffled her hair with his human hand, hugging her close.

"No worries kiddo, I ain't going anywhere. You're right. Someone has to pass on my legacy of mischief as the youngest member now that I'm so old." Jesse soothed her, even as she fell back asleep.

The silence filled the void, as McCree wondered if Reaper was waiting for him at the bar.

XXXXX

In the middle of the night, Soldier 76 woke up hearing Hana and Jesse speaking in hushed tones. Jesse… his heart beat hard at the disjointed memories. He'd shot him in the chest, he'd remembered struggling with Angela, trying to redirect her attention to the fact that McCree had fallen to the earth behind her, and was staring at them with the light dying in his brown eyes.

He'd shot Jesse, point blank. It was good he was alive, but from Hana's sniffles, he can imagine it was close.

And it was from the name…the fact of his name… being uttered by the kids, by Gabriel, it was too much for him. He had been back in Zurich, fighting for his life, the present and the past mingling together in such a terrible way that left him grasping for his grip on reality.  Again.

At some point, Jack Morrison had become a concept that ruled over his head, he was world's hero, a name on a gravestone, the world's scapegoat for why Overwatch failed, and he was certainly not actually who he was any longer. He was just a blind soldier who couldn't let go of the past that despite the fact he had no logical reason to keep on living, his body couldn't stop fighting.

But Soldier 76 couldn't actually remember when he had stopped being Jack Morrison.

After the incident in Switzerland, the explosion that had knocked him out a window, that had left him broken and alone in the mountains, help within sight and yet miles away; he'd spoken to himself a lot. Back then he'd still called himself Jack. The quiet ate away at him, just as the lack of sight did, and so he'd filled that gap. He wasn't fully blind, but it was enough to leave him running into trees at night. But he'd fill the gap of sight with a tactical visor that assisted him in seeing what he normally wouldn't he'd found inside a container of old Overwatch gear, along with a tacky jacket from a fourth of July party.  

His nightmares with Gabriel Reyes, a dead man, talking and mixing with his terrifying memories of his father, didn't help with his peace of mind, but he couldn't remember now when he'd stopped talking to himself.

He consciously knew, of course, that he was Jack Morrison, born to John and Anne in rural Indiana. Jack Morrison, the farm boy who never went to college and joined the army instead. Jack Morrison, the man that had been in love with Gabriel Reyes and had become Strike Commander of Overwatch. He was all of those people, and yet, he was none of them.

The first time someone had addressed him as Jack after he had been found out had been terrifying. He'd been back in the Swiss base, Gabriel in front of him, out of his reach, hanging above him and swallowing him whole with grief and anger and betrayal laced in his words as the man he'd loved more than anything else, once saw the stars in his eyes, blamed Jack for what was going on with Overwatch, down to the "original sin" of stealing Gabriel's rightful place as strike commander.  It had been Gabriel too, then, and he'd fought for his life.  Working with Ana a bit had helped him somewhat, but she was off doing her own thing now, she hadn't been able to follow him into Overwatch, not when there was something she needed to do while she was still in the shadows of her own death.

It was more than just the fight that made it hard for him to think clearly. It was the list of all the things he'd never told Gabriel, haunting him, reminding him of all the time he'd had to tell the truth, how he deserved what had become of him for lying for so long. His list about his true childhood, how much he regretted ever letting them force the position on him because he was the white man and more "suited" to be a poster child, how much he missed him, how much he loved him, how much he'd loved his family, and how much Jack had still needed him.

All of the things he'd never been able to say to Gabe changed him just as the angered shouts of people who had once adored him did, just as his father's words did.

Their fight had been in high-definition, and Gabriel's shouts had drowned out the worried cries of his friend, Angela, as she and Reinhardt had struggled to contain him from hurting others. Mercy had sedated him then, just as he had obviously done today. And he'd woken up with a broken arm that she was very concerned about.

So he supposed now that somewhere in the years of silence, Soldier 76 had been born as authorities began to call him that, just as Jack Morrison died away, rotted from the inside out as the burdens he'd put on himself buried him alive, dead from the sleep deprivation, from both angry media coverage, the weight of mourning fallen comrades and Gabe's parents, the break up and everything around it, and most of all, the weight of the one person he had loved with his entire being telling him that this was all his fault.

It would have been too much for anyone.

As a rather scathing article about him, Soldier 76, had pointed out- Jack Morrison was buried in Arlington cemetery, and all that was left of him was a broken shadow that didn't know how to stop fighting, since he'd been fighting so long. Even if he had nothing left to fight for, it was better than disappearing into nothing wasn't it?

And now Gabriel Reyes, the one who was responsible for so much of this, the ghost that appeared to taunt him, mock him, remind him of his failings, was actually alive. And he'd not been ready to hear him say the name, but somehow, Soldier 76 wondered if he'd ever be ready to hear the name Jack Morrison from those lips that had once caressed his skin and murmured it warmly, lovingly just as they had once cursed it and burned everything they had to the ground.

"You're awake, I can hear your heart monitor actin' up over there, yanno?" Jesse's voice interrupted him from his self-loathing thoughts.

"…Are you okay?" He asked gruffly, looking to the side where Jesse and Hana were curled up, the teenager sleeping, and Jesse grinned at him.

"Man, I'd been told what can happen, but I hadn't expected you to actually shoot me." Jesse joked, and 76 flinched. "Heya, don't you feel too bad 'bout yourself, okay? It was my bad. I knew the first second I saw you take your gun out that we shouldn't have let it go on. But I stepped in to break it up at the end, not at the beginning. You weren't you, and I think we all saw that."

"… You've not answered my question." 76 pointed out, refusing to acknowledge Jesse's words just yet.

"I'm fine." Jesse waved his prosthetic hand at him. "Angie did some sorta weird shit, because I did die for a second or two there, but here I am. Just call me Jon Snow, or whatever."

"I'm still sorry." 76 murmured. "I…don't even remember doing it, really. I remember snippets. For a second, you were one of Gabriel's spies, a Talon agent, and then the next you were on the ground, looking at me, _dying_. I could just barely make you out, but I was close enough to see the fight leave you before I went under. That doesn't excuse it though."

Jesse looked up at the ceiling. "I forgive you, though. Just promise me that you'll talk to Angie about it, alright?"

"Mmhm." 76 agreed, sounding grouchy about it, but giving into it.

Jesse only laughed, because 76, even if he was very different from his days as Jack Morrison, was still grouchy when people tried to tell him to take better care of himself.


	9. Chapter 9

The fact that no one showed up at the bar at their scheduled time was a worrying factor. After what Jack Morrison had done to him, he had needed to reap souls to heal his wounds, and after that, he felt dazed and uncoordinated. Jack Morrison, alive? He had been so angry, so betrayed. Jack had been so determined to kill him.

And as though to add to that surprise, a memory slipped through the haze of his existence.

His large gaps of memory rarely bothered him, since he remembered enough to keep himself functioning most days, but for whatever reason, he was truly bothered by it now.

That was because he remembered the look of betrayal on Jack Morrison's face back in Zurich, a flash of hot anger that was countered by utter sadness.

" _Gabriel,_ _ **why**_ _? Why are you doing this?" Jack's voice, hardly more than a sob, limping on either a bad sprain or a broken ankle. He was hopping, but there wasn't a thought that ran through his mind about how much pain Jack was in, or why, if Jack truly had never cared for him- never loved him- why he looked so miserable, so divulged of all hope and happiness._

But Gabriel hadn't been able to think about that then, nor was he able to stop himself during the fight, before fire came from behind him, consuming them both and leaving nothing behind. But there was time for those thoughts now.

After all, after having used his wraith form so much so quickly, and having to use his smoke form to reap the souls of unsuspecting people to feed himself, Gabriel had wound up being stuck as a bodiless phantom, floating aimlessly, like a ghost.

The tears running down Jack's face back then weren't those of a remorseless man who took everything of him. They were of a man who was losing everything, a man in pain, betrayed by someone who no longer was with him romantically, but had once been. They were of a man who was _tired_ of fighting and was breaking under the pressure of everything going on.

And Gabriel couldn't remember why he had done what he did. He couldn't even remember clearly all that he _had_ done.

Another memory pierced the veil, this one different in its nature.

" _Shhh, shhh…I've got you." Angela's voice was distant, but as his struggle to breathe was eased by delicate hands pushing off concrete, her blue eyes fogged with tears, he felt the crushing despair of what he had done._

_"Jack…" He whispered weakly, struggling to speak, to breathe. It was so hard to breathe. "Where's Jack…? I…I needed to…needed to say…" There was a cough in his throat that wouldn't come out, a lump of despondency that stopped him from speaking._

_He'd needed to apologize. To tell him he'd loved him. But the second he'd seen his face-that had been the end of it. All cognizant thought was gone. Gabriel Reyes had killed him, watched as the blast had sent Jack careening out of sight; the man unconscious from their fight, and both his bones and spirit, broken._

" _It's okay." Angela had told him, and he wanted to scream, that no it was not okay, that Jack was dead and something had made him kill him, but he lacked the ability to, his body at the edge of its limit. And then there had been nothing._

_His final consolation had been that if he had killed Jack, at least he wasn't far behind._

His breathing was picking up. Had his body reformed? It seemed to have, and he clutched at his leather jacket in his panic, trying to find something to hold onto. That wasn't what happened, was it? He thought, he thought that Angela had done it out of spite. But her voice was gentle in the foggy memory, and her eyes were sad. She had been crying, bandaging his wounds and trying to keep him calm. He remembered people walking past his body, their voices wrong and distorted as they passed him by in the fading light of day, his breathing ragged as his eyes blurrily stared at them passing him by. They left him there. They'd left him there to bleed out! _Angela_ had been the one to come back for him- had removed the concrete from his chest and bandaged him, and had tried to soothe him.

But that couldn't have been what happened!

His head was pounding, and he groaned. What was going on? What was happening? It was too much! He didn't _understand_.

" _Jack Morrison's dead, ghost_." The man had told him, his fury palpable in the air. " _I'm just a soldier."_

He didn't understand anything anymore- Jack Morrison wasn't dead if he was in front of him, but the man who was undoubtedly Jack hadn't been thinking, looked completely out of control as he'd tried to kill Reaper just as Gabriel had tried to kill him, his actions out of his control once more.  They had fought before, the two ghosts, but this was the only time where Jack had said something to him in battle.

Nothing made sense anymore. Why was he so _angry_? Wasn't it…was it _him_ who had betrayed Jack?

Jesse would know. Jesse, he would know. He understood things.

As smoke, without form, he had only looked back a second longer to see as Jesse McCree had died, though. Before a familiar golden light from a strange, far off memory had lit up the man, and he'd been whole once more.

Jesse had died for him. Jesse… Jesse was on his side. That was what he'd remembered the man telling him that he'd work with him. He'd watched as Jesse had been resurrected, watched as he had been taken into the ship.  Jesse had told him that he was with him, that he had to make sure Gabriel was trustworthy.  He understood.

So Jesse would know. He would have to find him, and he'd have to ask. One of the last things the man had said was that he would explain it later. He had to get that explanation from Jesse; he had to know… if this was his fault.

Jesse hadn't looked to be in any shape to meet him tonight from what he'd seen Jack do to him. However, he'd watch, and wait for the time that Jesse would be ready to settle his chaotic thoughts once more.

XXXXX

Jesse couldn't remember falling asleep, but he woke up when 76 jerked away and fell off the bed in response to Hana snoring rather inelegantly. Snoring didn't bother Jesse much, but movement was always a hard thing for him. Angela snorted at Jack, before helping him back to bed.

"Good morning Jesse." Angela whispered kindly after making sure that 76 was alright. "He's still asleep. Just was startled, I think."

"He got up in the middle of the night too." Jesse said after a moment, rubbing his eyes as he ruffled Hana's hair, the girl still sleeping on top of him. "He okay?"

"You're the one I should be worried about!" Mercy smacked his leg playfully. "Goodness, I was so frightened when I saw that you'd collapsed." Though her words were kind and playful, Jesse could see the fear that had etched onto her face. She had watched him die; she was obviously upset by that fact, but Jesse snorted.

"I was too! But I'm here now, so thank you kindly, Angie." McCree tried to soothe her, sitting up and carefully setting Hana down onto the bed as he stood fully.

"You get down!" Angela scolded, going over to fret over him, before Jesse rolled his shoulders.

"I feel much better, Doc, I promise." Jesse grinned easily, patting her head and pushing his way out, grabbing his serape off of the chair, rubbing at the blood and sand in distaste. "Gabe's mama made this for me, ya'll… I'll have to get it cleaned…" He complained.

He set it back on the chair, grabbing his pistol off the side table before he patted Angela's arm on the shoulder. "I figure I should go run crowd control for you. Are they all biting at the nib to ask questions?"

Angela sighed, dropping the happy façade, and nodded. "They all know now. That 76 is Jack, and that he's not…really stable anymore. They'll come to you, even though I told them not to. That you aren't obligated to say anything. If you do say anything, stress that it is of upmost importance to refrain from calling him Jack…"

"I gotcha Angie. I actually have business to still take care of now that I'm rather conveniently now, _not_ dead." He joked, waving behind him as he left the room.

After all, he still had another old man to look after and make sure wasn't completely dead.

"Wait, Jesse!" Angela said as she ran after him, and surprised, Jesse turned back around. "Jesse, the cops came after us. We've left Ilios." She told him, and after a second of comprehending that, Jesse put his head in his hands.

"Oh." He blinked, unable to say anything much more intelligent to that, hoping he was concealing his upset at leaving Greece without him having a chance to take "Where in the hell are we going?"

"Nepal." Angela informed him, quirking a curious eyebrow at his strange expression. "Did you leave something behind?"

"… Nothing so important the whole team needs to worry about it!" Jesse tried to cover himself, and the look of obvious disbelief on Angela's face made him feel like he was going to get slapped or something, before she shrugged.

"There is no reason to hide things from us, you know." Angela told him off kindly, before she went back to looking at 76, changing the bag of IV fluids in him. "We are all on the same side."

McCree nodded, before he went out into the mess anyway. Even if they were, they might hurt Reaper. As unfortunate as it was to say, Gabriel wasn't precisely…stable, and he was definitely not afraid of hurting others if the time came to. He was distractible, sure, but not docile.

Lúcio and Junkrat were talking, and someone had left out some snacks that they were eating noncommittally. They looked like they were about to speak to him, before he shrugged, and grinned. "Hana is asleep on the bed where I was. You should get blackmail photos- she snored so bad she scared 76 awake."

As the two younger men's faces lit up with mischievous thoughts, Jesse was free from all other individuals who might have bothered him with questions, and so was able to walk off to his room.

He whistled as he locked the door behind him, turning around to collapse on his bed, before he saw a familiar sort of strange black mist piling out of the closet.

Completely bewildered, Jesse kicked the door open with his foot, and watched as the form sort of curled around his foot like a strange looking… Well, now he _couldn't_ help himself.

"There's a snake in my boot!" He cackled, before he looked at it closer, bending over to watch as Reaper's familiar black smoke pooled in the closet once more, seeming unable to take form. "Er, _on_ , I s'pose. Gabe, that you?"

The glob of black smoke manifested into something larger, just large enough to knock a framed photograph of Jack, Gabe, and Jesse off the table beside the closet, before it collapsed to the floor and misted around like the effects of a bad smoke machine.

He chortled at that. Oh yeah, that was Gabe. "Yeah? That bad, mm?" He sat down on the bed, before lying down. "I don't suppose you can speak like that, so Imma just…wait for you to _not_ be that."

The pool manifested itself once more, into something that looked like a couple of fingers. And then it pinched his leg. McCree yelped, scrambling away even as the black pool moved fluidly to the closet. Those talons really could hurt!

"Yeouch! Do I need to call the Ghostbusters or somethin'?" Jesse asked, rubbing his leg. "Damn, Gabe. That was hell of a pinch. How long you've been like that?"

There was a sound not unlike a disgruntled sigh, and Jesse rolled his eyes. "I don't speak moody ghost, Gabe. I'd prefer English, or Spanish if ya could, generally makes these things easier."

There was nothing, and McCree wondered if Gabe could actually get out of that form, and if he couldn't, if they could communicate. Was he stuck? It seemed kinda impossible, given that Reaper always was leaking some sort of black smoke and was using it rather liberally in his fight with 76 earlier, but Jesse could think of no other reason for Gabe to stay like that unless he couldn't get out of it.

Once more, the ghost manifested, and this time it looked _almost_ like Gabe did, his scarred and burnt face looking like he was in deep pain, his reddish eyes staring at McCree in a silent plea to _help him_ , before the semi-corporal form burst apart once more.

"You can't reform, is that the problem?" He asks, and the look of angry upset from the ghosts' flashing red eyes told him that he was an idiot for asking that. "Well, aren't you in a pickle now." Jesse murmured, scratching his neck as the smoke pooled once more.

He grabbed an empty plastic bin off the floor, from where it looked like Hana had gone through his stash of cheese balls, much to his upset, but it looked like it'd be big enough to hold the swirling black mist that was Reaper.

It backed away from his attempt to catch it, before Jesse whistled to him, holding out the container for him to climb into, er, float into? "C'mon, Gabi, I ain't gonna hurt you, but we're currently flying, n' I'd hate to see you get sucked out through a vent or somethin'."

That made the ghostly smoke pause, before it gave in, and allowed itself to be picked up. "I'll have to find something better than this to hold you in." Jesse admitted, scratching his head. "But at least now I don't have to worry about you disappearing through a shaft. Maybe someone has a stuffed animal or something so you don't have to stay in my room. Something less suspicious than a clear plastic container filled with a strange black fluid, you get me?"

Jesse watched with some amusement as the jar quaked in his hands, as though enraged at the very thought. "Dontcha remember? Ana used to call you a puppy, I think it's just due respect to her that you look like one now." He pointed out, before closing the lid on top of him. "I'll be back in a few, I just suspect it's a good idea to keep you in one place, mm?"

And with that, he left, snickering as the jar shook angrily on his bed, black smoke swirling around it, enraged.

XXXXX

He wouldn't die from being inside the container, but that didn't mean it was any less humiliating. Reaper was, indeed, stuck. He'd snuck onto Overwatch's ship in order to try and get to Jesse, and had found his room, tell-tale cowboy gear everywhere, but no Jesse. The fact that the team seemed quiet, but not grieving told him that Jesse had been injured, but was ultimately alright.

Which was obviously why he stayed there, and now why he was trapped in a jar, feeling very much like a cat with its claws removed.

No, he couldn't speak like this. And no, he really couldn't reform. He'd done too much already by trying to reform his basic form to speak, or more accurately, to tell Jesse to help him by telling him off for all the jokes.

He glared, but looked around. McCree's room was filled with familiar items, mementoes that looked a bit worse for wear. Mostly photographs. He'd most likely been on the run since the fall of Overwatch, assuming he wasn't on the run before that. His memories surrounding the fall were always a bit disordered, and he attributed that to what had been done to him.

He spotted one of a much, much younger McCree and his father, and even his ghostly form shivered. He'd picked up Jesse when the boy had been 17, all gangly limbs and anger, running on fumes of hatred in a gang after his father's death. Jesse'd not even told him how young he was for years, preferring to keep to himself.

It had been a joint effort from Ana, Gabriel, and Martha Reyes that finally got him to settle down some, and it was obvious in the years since he'd matured even more.

The sobering thought was that it had been their deaths that had done so. Even though Gabriel was alive now, and always had been, Ana was KIA, and his mother, well, she had died to age. Death did things to people, and Gabriel didn't want to pretend like it wasn't obvious that his death had hurt Jesse.

As he looked at the photo, he looked into bright brown eyes and wondered why he hadn't told Jesse. Jesse hadn't had much to start with in Overwatch. He had no family to speak of, and he wasn't especially close to many before he was close to Gabriel. Guilt surged through him at the thought of leaving Jesse behind, as he half-remembered all that the younger man had done for him in the final year of Overwatch.

He couldn't remember everything though, and that was disconcerting in itself. The words were gone. There were many blank spaces where he only felt vague reverberations of feeling. Jesse hadn't done anything bad, the man had been there for him- that he was sure of. But why he hadn't gone to Jesse, why he couldn't remember the exact things said or done, that was gone. It was all gone.

Which begged the question, why was it gone? He had not grown so old as to become so senile to forget entire years of knowing him. And yet… as much as he reached for the information that he was sure was there, he found nothing. It was especially interesting given that…given how some memories felt incredibly real, like they were happening less than he were remembering them- those memories of corruption, and shadows everywhere climbing the walls and preparing to swallow him whole. But he couldn't remember Jesse clearly; there were empty spaces where he knew that there shouldn't be. And he had no reason for why they were there.

Gabriel had come to Jesse for answers, but now was left with more questions and no way to ask them.

Thankfully, Jesse had returned, holding up a stuffed animal, a large teddy bear. "Here we go." He grinned, slicing open the back before removing the lid. "Now you can come around with me and see what's all going on until you can reform. Since I'm assuming you can eventually."

Reaper waited patiently, staring at Jesse with his red eyes glowing, unimpressed. Then Jesse started to remove the stuffing, and there was enough room for Reaper to pull himself in, before Jesse sewed up the back in messy stitches he'd learned from Martha once upon a time. The bear was a rough form to live in for two days or so, but it accomplished its purpose of giving him a disguised form while he was 'out of commission', as he might call it. This had happened to him as well when the monkey had injured him back in Gibraltar, making his form burst because of his electric attack that had shocked him to the point he couldn't stay together.

And with that, Jesse patted his head, and he felt strangely content with himself.

XXXXX

It was apparently very easy to lose a stuffed animal filled with the soul of one Gabriel Reyes. For one, the bastion unit found it incredibly adorable and had proceeded to take it from Jesse when the man had turned his back on Reaper to make a snack. Lúcio had found the two together, and had been excited to see his stuffed animal returned, but as Bastion beeped pitifully, he had taken pity on the omnic.

The omnic had then spent some time with the bear and Lúcio in the living space in the airship, Lúcio having pilfered some things out of Overwatch's old storage facility when they'd been in Ilios, and had discovered a certain someone's- read; Gabriel's- collection of telenovelas. He had to turn on English subtitles, since he didn't understand Spanish incredibly well, but he enjoyed them nonetheless.

By the time Jesse had tracked down where the bear had been taken, Bastion was asleep, and Lúcio was complaining loudly. "Maria, he's not good for you! You need to let him go! He loves Sylvia, and the sooner you realize that the sooner you can move on!"

"Awwh, no way you like this stuff too." Jesse complained, making Lúcio jump in surprise. He'd never liked em much, but Gabriel had adored them.

"I love it! You kidding me? When I found this collection, I was immediately so happy to see it and not just the boring DVDs of repetitive action movies that most of the gringos watch." Lúcio grinned, and turned his attention back to the screen.

Once Lúcio had turned around to face the TV again, and Jesse had ensured that Bastion was off, he grabbed the stuffed animal with Reaper's soul, trying to make a quick exit.

He was rewarded for his valiant efforts with a deep growl that startled both Bastion into turret mode and Lúcio into pausing the show and staring at it.

"Jesse? Did that noise just come from the teddy bear?" Lúcio's voice had lost its happiness and excitement, as he stared wide-eyed at the shaking stuffed animal.

The bastion beeped at it suspiciously, watching as the bear wormed its way out of his hand, making Lúcio jump back in fear. "Whoa! Possessed teddy bear!" He shouted, and Jesse sighed. Naturally, Gabriel would be difficult.

"I think it just wants to finish the show." He grumbled, before he picked it up, and set him back down to the TV.

The bear turned around to him; black glass eyes that looked like red had possessed them boring into his soul with vitriol. Even without the ability to speak, Jesse knew that Reaper was practically saying, "Duh," before it turned back around to the paused TV screen.

"I'll get Mercy." He waved a hand. "She knows how to get ridda demons."

The bear shook again, as though angered with him, and Lúcio laughed somewhat nervously. "I mean, that aint right, but I always can use someone to watch telenovelas with me, demon-bear."

The bear went still, and Jesse undoubtedly knew that he was paying attention to the screen once more. Jesse sighed exasperatedly, before he sat down, picking up the bear to hold it in his lap.

"Really? My telenovelas? Now these are things I hadn't seen in a few years." 76's voice piped up, and both Jesse and Lúcio's head turned, and the bear was still and lifeless in Jesse's hands. He looked a little worse for wear, walking on a crutch, one of his hands bandaged from where he'd broken his knuckles.

"Did Mercy give you hell for me?" Jesse asked, and 76 scoffed, before nodding, rubbing his hurt knuckles as he balanced on the crutch, his leg bandaged up. Lúcio looked a bit out of his depth, before he had to ask.

"They're yours?" Lúcio asked, wide-eyed as he stared at the person who was definitely Jack Morrison now, and 76 looked a bit embarrassed, his forehead flushing red.

"Actually- I don't like em all that much. But…I recorded them for…well. They were for Gabe. He was on duty a lot…and we were busy that last year with work and other stuff. So I recorded them for him…much good as that was. He broke up with me." He grumbled, before he sat down on top of bastion, the robot beeping at him happily.

"I know, bot. Ungrateful of him, right?" He scoffed, trying to remain light about it, but failing. Jesse wouldn't know if he'd call what Gabriel did ungrateful or just downright upsetting and aggressive. "I'm glad someone's using them, though. I didn't like them much. Once we broke up, I stopped watching them, but I kept recording them." He sighed. "It was stupid, but I couldn't really…stop myself from hoping that if we did get back together, we'd watch em together."

Jesse set down the bear, feeling the shakes but ignoring them, before he sat down on Bastion as well, getting closer to 76, before he hugged the grump. "Don't worry about it, 76. It wasn't your fault." He directed a look at the bear, wondering if Gabriel was listening. "There was a lot going on."

"I should have known something." 76 grumbled, leaning his head on Jesse's shoulder. "Noticed something was wrong."

"You were already under so much fire, pardner." Jesse murmured. "If anyone shoulda seen it coming, it should have been me. I had been the last person to talk with him." There was silence, before 76 sighed.

"Sorry, kid." He grumbled, looking embarrassed at saying so much in front of Lúcio, realizing again that they had an audience. "Listen- about yesterday. It's not that I don't trust you kids." He admitted, voice low, embarrassed. "I don't…trust myself anymore. A lot's changed about me, more than most people would think. Call me 76, don't think of me as any different than the person you've known this whole time on the ship."

Lúcio looked at him, before nodding, and smiling. "Alright, I can do that." He agreed, kindly, letting the silence last. "But if you guys wanna talk about stuff, do you mind doing that elsewhere? I _need_ to know what happens to Maria!"

"Paula had a gun last episode, saying that she was going to make someone pay." 76 pointed out with a chuckle, and Lúcio gasped dramatically.

"No! She _wouldn't_!"

For all that 76 and McCree had claimed to hate these shows that Gabriel had loved, they had both watched them enough, and they wound up watching them again now, Jesse hearing tell tale sniffles beneath 76's mask. He knew that Jack found these a bit cheesy, so it was far, far more likely that he was crying because of how familiar this felt. It was him and Jesse watching something that had been so dear to the one person who 76 didn't realize was already there with them. To the person that he thought was never going to be with them again.

It wasn't always the big things that made you miss people, it was the small things too, when you go about a routine that you once did and you realize that there's no point if they're not there anymore.

Jesse just wondered what was going on inside of Reaper's head at all that new information, but the bear had gone still, and he said nothing, for he couldn't speak, even as he sat on top of bastion with 76 sitting in his lap, the man needing a bit of support as he dealt with the dragging up of happy memories along with the worst of them from yesterday, filling the room with a sort of amicable melancholy.

But for as many questions as he had about what Reaper was thinking about, he got the feeling that this was helpful for all three of them, if in a strange way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, new information made me cry bc i had to go back and fix some stuff. But I am 100% ready for Ana Amari. 
> 
> I've been told that people wanna know when Hanzo comes in. He's coming. This is a slow build, but everyone's here. 
> 
> And aww, Jesse...you would think that you've already seen the worst of things. You would. I'm so sorry my sweet summer child.


	10. Chapter 10

Nepal had just been a place to regroup, Gabriel decided after seeing the lack of any activity or fighting. Things were far more isolated there, so they could afford to take a day off, and restock the ship, but he also knew that once Talon had an inkling of where Overwatch had wound up, the authorities were on them.

Overwatch was illegal now- that he remembered. The PETRAS act made them punishable with prosecution for just potentially grouping up, let alone what they had done now- taken a ship, donned Overwatch's banner, and even recruiting new people.

But they were doing it anyway. For good reason- Talon had been acting up, and various places were on the verge of war between omnics and humans, let alone the mess with various shady corporations that ran in the background, controlling interesting events in time. Even the woman who worked for Vishkar had abandoned her post and joined their ranks, no longer able to ignore the human suffering that Vishkar was causing. Allegedly she had been picked up in Dorado, along with the Soldier, Jack Morrison. She had been looking into creating Vishkar's foothold, when some sort of fight happened between her, Jack, Reinhardt, Mercy, over a gang in the region. Los Muertos, he remembered Jack telling her, was a cancer to the city, but becoming the new chokehold wasn't necessarily the path forward.

Somewhere along his path of revenge, Reaper had forgotten why he had been apart of Overwatch, but as he watched Mercy interact with a Nepalese boy from the village a bit away from where they'd landed- his current, rather embarrassing form letting him see things he'd not necessarily see otherwise- he remembered that as well. He had joined Overwatch to be a hero, to do the right thing in the face of overwhelming adversity.

But _when_ had he forgotten that?

His lack of memories was becoming more and more disturbing with each passing moment, with each realization that as much as he claimed to know, he knew shockingly little. Even the angry things he wanted to shout at the original members felt as though they were cardboard cut out insults- yes, they were there, but there was nothing behind them, and with the evidence in front of him supporting otherwise, they toppled over and lay still and fake.

Gabriel Reyes wanted answers now more than ever, but with each passing moment, he wondered if those answers would bring him peace, or if they would bring him suffering.

What would he do if he discovered not everything was as he thought it was?

The day after watching 2 seasons of his old, favorite telenovela with Lúcio had been filled with such casual actions, it reminded him of the feelings of being with his squadron. He couldn't remember them, but this team- being around it mimicked the feelings that came up where memories did not.

He was still unable to reform, but that was somehow also a blessing. He enjoyed the peace; it did not come often into his life anymore. He was learning things that felt new even though they felt familiar. The camadarie was welcome, even though he couldn't really participate. Mei helping Mercy with dinner, Fareeha- she'd gotten so big, when did that happen?- sneaking the other members cookies by distracting Angela, Torbjörn scoffing at the bastion unit that tended to hang around Soldier 76- _Jack_.

And Torbjörn would be smacked on the back of the head by Mercy, Genji and the new recruit "Zenyatta" watching on. Genji laughed at it, but Zenyatta shook his head, the omnic trying to speak with Torbjörn and being firmly ignored. Reinhardt picked up the small man and put him on his shoulder, effectively making a fool out of himself in front of his daughter Brigitte and her friends, Lúcio and Hana. Jack, well, he would lean against Jesse at times, never free of that mask, and the bastion unit would beep at him, making him chortle and pet its head as though he could understand it.

Mercy and Jack and Reinhardt and Torbjorn aren't corrupt in the slightest- and he can't imagine a situation where they would be either. Nothing here could make him do it even as his conflicted thoughts railed against it, feelings of anger and resentment burning hot in his chest, but it was failing to kindle the flames given that he just saw a group of friends- his friends- being happy and friendly and talking about how they can go about stopping the second omnic crisis with Zaryanova and Hana, a few thoughts were thrown in about him but they seemed to have lost Talon when they had come here.

And Jesse, the one that held him and snuck him out of the room at night, bringing him back to bed, Jesse, the one who, when they were alone, would speak to him so casually, pretending Gabriel could respond. It made him feel normal- it made him feel loved, safe again, _alive_ again. Jesse was potentially the only thing on this whole trip that was preventing him from losing it, since nothing was right anymore and he couldn't remember when that had happened.

When had things changed? He'd not questioned his existence before. It was a cop out to say they'd changed after losing his form. No, this all began when… He didn't remember. It had something to do with how he was like this now. _Angela, begging him to hold on_ \- _where was he? He had come in to say something, and had opened up with an apology. He was gone now, Gabriel deserved to be gone too_.

"Hey, Jesse." The familiar voice, tainted by a new gruffness marring it, came into the dark room. "Are you awake?"

"If I wasn't before, I am now." Jesse teased, and 76 walked into the room, lying down beside Jesse, around where the bear that Reaper's form resided in. Effectively making him the middle of their embrace. It felt familiar and welcome and a tad heartbreaking for some reason.

Jesse had been awake; he'd been asking Gabriel when he would reform, so they could actually talk. " _As much as being quiet is a change in pace, I miss the sound of your complaints." Jesse'd said to him, looking into his eyes. "Wonder what you'd say."_

The soldier sat down in bed, before lying down and grabbing him, and Reaper felt a jolt of a memories rush through him.

_Jack had a blankie. He'd noticed it after they'd started dating, way back in the days of the super-soldier program. He'd just said it was left over from when he was a kid, but if anything had happened to it, he'd not sleep well. He'd take it everywhere. Told Gabe that if it ever came out, he would be cockblocked for life since Jack would make it a personal mission to emasculate him. He was a cuddler at heart, in his sleep, but it had taken him a while to get used to holding something animate rather than a blanket. He'd found him once after a tough mission crying in his sleep, begging for something to stop, stop hurting him, and Gabe had wondered why it didn't sound like he was fighting omnics in his sleep, but he had figured Jack would tell him in time, but it never seemed like the time to ask, and Jack got better over the years. At some point, he had forgotten that too and had figured it was better to let sleeping dogs lie, or perhaps he wanted to dehumanize the man he was just going to kill soon enough._

And here Jack was now, cuddling with him and Jesse, not in any sexual way, but begging for comfort. "Gimme a sec." Jack grumbled as he cuddled with the bear, wrestling in the bed to get his free hand up to his mask, before he removed it. Gabriel couldn't see it from his current vantage point, but Jesse did, leaning in and squishing Reaper as he kissed Jack.

"Hi handsome." Jesse murmured as he moved around a bit to hold Jack better. "So you've come to sleep here?"

"I dislike sleeping alone, even now, after everything." His voice was hesitant, and Gabriel, unable to speak, felt like he was intruding almost. It was true, _even back then, he remembered. Jack in the days of his training would find a room with people and curl up there in a corner, until Gabriel had invited him to his bed and they were together since then._ "I'm…working on opening up more. You deserve it, a lot of you do. Explanations and stuff. Why I'm like this now, that sort of junk. You see, I was really close, back then, but then I lost everything." Jack's voice was quiet, remorseful. Gabriel wanted to tell him that he was sorry.

Jesse hummed, before that man spoke up, a smile in his voice. He seemed more at ease, happier. "Eh, I'm in no rush. Whenever you're ready, old man." He paused, and Jesse heard Jack grumble a bit as he was squeezed tighter. "I'd say you're not gettin' any younger, but they say that those with glass houses shouldn't throw stones, yanno. N' I didn't go see my own Pa's grave until I was 26. So I know all about avoiding trauma." And he could almost hear the wink in his expression, hearing Jack smack him upside the head for it made him rather vindicated.

"I didn't start achievement hunting though, so there is that." Jack's smug voice echoed, and Gabriel felt a laugh he couldn't act up on bubble up inside him as Jesse gave a theatrical faux-offended gasp, and Jack laughed as well, the sound slightly strange as Jesse kissed his cheek.

There was silence, amicable, as the two men curled around a teddy bear. Jack looked at him with blue eyes, and Gabriel wished he didn't have to look at the scars. They damned him more than anything, made him nervous and guilty. "…I was ready to tell Gabriel. I wanted to turn over a new leaf. And I got myself nearly killed in the process. If that ain't a sign to not ever open up I don't know what is." Gabriel panicked at that, though. What? Nearly killed? _Jack_? And the way it was sounding, Gabriel was behind it. No, that couldn't be what happened. That wasn't what happened. He couldn't argue with it because he couldn't speak, but on some level, it sounded like the truth.

But where did that leave him?

…No, he remembered that.

As Jesse looked at the bear, before kissing Jack, telling him that it would be alright in a gentle whisper, Gabriel Reyes finally got the answer to the question that had been bothering him most.

 _He_ had been the one to do this to Jack.

Zurich, the base… the explosion he had set. Mercy, gently pulling him out with tears on her face. _He had needed to apologize, and Jack had come in saying that he had so much to say to him. He'd looked so tired stop hurting him stop hurting him stop hurting him you're killing him stop hurting him!_

But Gabriel had thrown both the first punch, and the final.

The silence in the room overwhelmed him, even as he knew that both Jesse and Jack were asleep now.

XXXXX

They left Nepal only a few hours after that, and when Reaper woke up, he was alone on the bed. Jesse and Jack were gone, and he rubbed at his face, wondering how he got to this point. After a moment, he absently noticed that he had reformed. His hands were there, and the bear he'd been living in was ripped on the bed. He'd fallen asleep at some point.

He wasn't doing so well. His mind was swirling with memories and doubts and emotions that were so incredibly convoluted. And he didn't like it. He didn't like it. He didn't like how he couldn't make heads or tails of his existence anymore. His tie to existence was gone- where had they gone? Wasn't Jack the one to blame? What was he to blame for now? Gabriel's own chaotic thoughts?

No. Only he was to blame for it. Blame for what? For what he was? No. That was Jack's fault, wasn't it? That was Angela's fault, wasn't it?

He stumbled, and he hadn't even realized he'd stood up and started to pace before he was on the ground, vomiting up his black blood as his head spun.

Jesse had come in, and there was a hand on his back. Reforming after being stuck for days on end was never pleasant, that he knew, but he was worse than usual. His ears rung, but he eventually heard Jesse's voice, calling for him.

"Gabriel? Gabe? _Gabi?"_ There was panic, and he didn't understand it. Jesse's brown eyes looked so scared- for him? Gabriel Reyes was a dead man, what was there to be panicked about? No one had called him Gabi since before the fall- from grace? From Overwatch. The fall he organized – _but they didn't deserve it he didn't deserve it you need to apologize to him still but you_ _ **killed**_ _him._

He was finally able to speak a moment later, and it was then he was able to actually collect his thoughts and catch his breath. "Jesse? It hurts so much. I don't want to remember anymore. It hurts." He was crying, when had that happened. He didn't remember enough to make sense of anything and what he did remember hurt him. "Jesse, make it stop, please, make it stop!" He sobbed, and felt the younger man drag him into a tight hug, rubbing his back and trying to ask him what was wrong.

He'd not spoken to Jesse for a few days. That was right. Jesse had no idea what was wrong but neither did Gabriel. There was just too much. Too much. His head was pounding and everything was screaming at him. No, that was just in his head. The room was quiet, except for Jesse trying his best to soothe him. The room was quiet except for his low keens of pain and broken sobs.

It slowly dissipated, punishing him for everything until the last second, and he felt empty, as though the happiness had been sucked out of him.

"Gabriel?" Jesse called for him, and he grunted in acknowledgement, curling up with him, grabbing the serape and shaking as its death throws coursed through him. "I'm here. Stay with me."

_Angelino Jesse McCree damn brat a strange lover in a strange time he's like the glue holding you two together you know you got it bossman its hard coming back to things when there's nothing there left for you there you didn't tell me he spoke Spanish, too! What's gotten into you, huh?_

What's gotten into to him?

The memories were now discordant voices all shouting at him at once. He flinched, but had Jesse there with him. Jesse, holding him up, stroking his back, he was the one that Gabriel remembered best.

"Okay." Gabriel breathed out with a shudder.

"What's going on with you?" Jesse asked, a low, frightened question. If Gabriel felt more up to it, he would have laughed. The man in his memory wouldn't be afraid.

"Dunno." He mumbled, his breath caught in his throat before he could breathe again.

"We'll find answers." Jesse's voice became determined – _I'm on your side, he'd said_. "I promise. We'll find out what's wrong with you now. I'll find out, if it's the last damn thing I do."

Jesse picked him up, Gabriel feeling limp. "You're too light." Jesse murmured. Gabriel didn't know how to respond, so he didn't. He curled up against Jesse as the man put him back on the bed, laying him down. "I will be back. Don't move." Jesse ordered, and Gabe didn't have the strength to stand or ask where he was going.

What felt like an eternity had passed before he could stand again. His head was pounding. Jesse was still gone. It was only a few minutes, probably, but time passed strangely these days. It had for a while, even in his convoluted memories.

There were footsteps, and Reaper stood, ready for whatever Jesse needed of him, before he recognized the red-lit visor that defined Jack Morrison these days. Memories hit him, of hating him, of loving him, and of Gabriel Reyes killing him and fighting him and wanting revenge and wanting to apologize for everything he'd done and wanting to die, to rest after it was all said and done.

There was nothing said for a bit. Jack hadn't been expecting him here, which he knew. Jesse had asked him to not hurt people with him. He'd asked him to stay with him, and to stay put.

He couldn't help but whisper his name though, the object of his strange and polarized obsessions. "Jack…" He mumbled, not knowing why his heart and mind were so conflicted with the need in his blood to kill _kill_ _ **kill**_.

Jesse had left. Jesse had said they would find answers if it was the last thing he did. Jesse was on his side. Jesse knew something was wrong with him. If he could just communicate that to Jack, maybe…then maybe- he reached to Jack, the man a symbol of everything he'd loved and lost and hated and destroyed. And he had to know why, since he didn't remember.

"Jack, I just want _answers_." He tried, stumbling forward even as 76 started to stare through him. And he did, he wanted them more than anything, it burned a hole through him. He wanted them even though he knew that it might destroy him to know them. And Jack held the ones he wanted most.

"I thought you had them all, Gabe." He laughed, staring at him. "I thought you did. I thought you died with them all, and my reason for living was one of those answers. But I'm still here. And you're still here, as more than this ghost that haunts me when I'm weak." He gestured towards him wildly.

"Ghost?" He breathed out, confused, since last time Jack had attacked him, he had been quick about it. But he just seemed to be looking at him, and Jack laughed at him again, the sound irritating to his very core, grating on his every nerve. But he had to hold it together even as his being felt like it was melting into hot rage. That feeling wasn't his. His feeling was buried underneath it, worry for Jack seeping behind it, oozing almost unnoticeably. He tried his best to hold onto that, and not the anger.

"You're not _real_. Seems fitting that I'd update the delusion that fucking taunts me to match what Gabe became." He spat, his mask red and bright and _irksome_ since Gabriel wanted to see his eyes, see Jack as he was because that would make it so much easier to hold onto his worry and ignore the anger that felt so falsified. Jack was fucking seeing him these days as hallucinations, he tried to tell himself, ignoring the boiling in his blood as he repeated that again. "But that's fine, it's easier to fight you, Reaper, than it is to fight Gabriel. That's because Gabriel's dead. You're just his ghost."

Gabriel snapped- and lost sight of everything he had been grappling with, finally losing himself to the void that had been sucking him in, and Jesse wasn't there to grab onto this time and save what slivers of himself he could. _Gabriel Reyes is dead_. He felt his panic and resistance vanish into the emptiness that was him now. _You are the Reaper_.

Reaper snarled, his red eyes glaring at him, in anger, in disbelief. "Oh, am I a hallucination now?" He asked, his baritone voice threatening. "I am very real. You know _Jack_ , I'm old, but not that old!"

He didn't have his guns out, and neither did Jack. He lunged at him, claws first, even as Jack put up his fists, and punched Reaper in the jaw by dodging his claws, thereby getting behind him. _He used his non-dominant hand, he vaguely noticed_ , _his other hand was still broken._ **That is an advantage; use it**.But as he was tossed back, he dug his claws into the jacket, ripping it up and helping to break his fall, looking on in smugness at the blood that dripped from the cuts, 76 looking at him coolly.

The man went to form his guns, but then he realized that he didn't _have_ his guns. His arsenal was depleted for one reason or another, but he could use the fact he was a hallucination to Jack, to his advantage. He paced around the room, looking for an opening in Jack's careful defensive display, not unlike a starving animal waiting for the break in his prey's concentration, to pounce and devour it.

"Are you upset with your decisions now, Jack?" His voice, dark, caressing the name with hatred. "Upset that you had to go play Boy Scout, and make your father proud? Prove the Morrison family was great?" He scoffed. "Gabriel Reyes is dead, and you killed him. He trusted you, and he stopped trusting you too late. You had to take everything from him, didn't you?"

There was a laugh, and it made Reaper's stomach curdle with distaste. He stopped his pacing, to stare at Jack in contemplation. "Saying all of that makes you really sound like him, I have to admit."

"You say that I wanted to make my family proud, then where does that leave you, Gabe? You already had everything I had ever wanted- you had a _family_ , one that was loving and caring and there for you and goddamn it, that would have been enough for me!" Jack's voice had risen in righteous fury, and Reaper wasn't able to come up with a response to that. "Didn't you want to make your family proud? How proud were they when you blocked me off from them! When I saw them as my own family Gabe, and they saw me as part of theirs! You already had everything that I had dreamed of, being with you, loving you and being loved by you was all I had ever wanted!"

"But you didn't ever _get_ that! I know it was my fault that I never told you, but Gabe, you knew me for so long and you never even suspected? Never, not even _once_? That the reason you never met my father was because my father was an abusive fuckwad? That you were all that I had ever wanted? That your life was all I'd ever dreamt of having? But now they're gone Gabe! They're gone, and you wouldn't let me say goodbye! They all _died_! Isabela, Miguel, Ignacio, Martha! I never had a chance to say _goodbye_ because you had some crazy thought that I was going to steal your family from you! You begrudged me for everything I had until you decided that you begrudged me for just _existing_! And so you killed me after saying that you wanted to talk, wanted to sort things out." His breathing had become harsh, and his angry words finished with a broken sob, his form dropping from his offensive stance, his shoulders hunching in defeat. "You used my love for you until the last second."

That wasn't the response he had been expecting, and he felt off, like he'd just waken up out of some horrific nightmare. But the phantom was still there, looking at him with judgment even though he couldn't see his eyes. "J-Jack…" Gabriel tried, his voice weak. "I didn't…"

"Just go away, ghost. Jack Morrison's dead- you've already killed him." The voices were back in full force.

_You needed to apologize to him and you killed him you killed him you killed him you killed him you killed him and you died in that base, thinking if you'd killed Jack then at least you weren't far behind but you're here now, still living just like he is._

"Jack…" He stumbled forward, trying to understand. He felt lightheaded, sick, _wrong_ , and he shook his head, trying to clear it.

" _What's gotten into you, huh?" It was his mama's voice and her body but her face was black smoke of the type that consumed Gabriel, dragging him back under even as he tried desperately to reach for her. HELP ME he shouted into the void, Jesse, where was Jesse – I'm on your side, he'd said. He reached out for Jesse, the man walking away again, running and leaving him please don't leave me please I'm scared it hurts it hurts it hurts._

He was hit from the top of the head, Jack's elbow coming down on him and snapping him out of his nightmarish thoughts, his heart beating too fast, his pupils blown in fear, in pain.

"Reaper is on our ship!" Angela's voice was coming around the corner, and he could see the boots with spurs running in behind her. "Requesting back up immediately!"

"Angie! Listen to me, please, he needs _help_ , not an attack."

"He's already got an attack!" Angela pointed out. "We can't take Jack and Gabriel on alone, even with these."

The oppressive person on top of him was ripped away, and Reaper saw the flash of metal that indicated handcuffs, causing his brown eyes to go red, before he realized they were being used to hold down Morrison, not himself. Jack was writhing angrily, even as Angela tried her best to talk him down.

Jesse came to him, pulling him up again and trying to talk to him, but his ears were ringing- he felt sick. "Gabi, please, focus on me." He blocked Jack from sight, brown eyes searching brown, "Please, focus on me. I'm going to help you; we're going to get our answers. I promise, please, trust me."

He trusted Jesse. He nodded, trying his best to focus on him. Jesse knew what was going on better than any of them- better than Gabriel, even, he suspected. He was disoriented, sick, he needed answers, and he needed _help_. He needed the pain to go away, for the voices to stop.

"Reinhardt, _no_!" Angela's voice was the only warning he got before he was taken from behind, ripped away from Jesse and he couldn't free himself, brown eyes going red and black as he snarled and fought and gave into his orders to kill and fight and lash out at Overwatch, and as he realized that he couldn't free himself by any other means, he went back into his wraith form, before misting away, sinking through the vents as Jesse called his name, the sound fading as he escaped through the pipes, along with his memories, along with those feelings.

Back into the black abyss Gabriel sank, only the fading feeling of cold sorrow echoing inside his hollow shell.

XXXXX

In hindsight, he should have realized there was no way his secretiveness would pay off. Tracer, Winston, Reinhardt were all giving him looks of betrayal, of dislike. He had hidden Reaper from them. He had broken their trust.

"You chose him over me." Jack's hard voice was especially damning. "You chose him over me. You knew he was here! You were hiding him!" He was screaming, still writing against Reinhardt and the handcuffs. Jack was crying now. "I trusted you! You chose him!" Angela was hugging Jack, in the way that Jesse desperately wanted to, but had to refrain himself from, no matter how painful that restraint was.

"Look- I won't lie. I was keeping him close. But I chose you both, just as I did back then." He explained, softly. "Gabriel needs-…"

"Gabriel needs to be captured, and brought to justice." Winston said flatly. Angela had sedated Jack during the attack, and he had finally passed out.

"Those should really be on _him_ , not 76." Tracer's words were biting, and Jesse flinched.

"I am inclined to agree." Angela murmured, handing Jack to Reinhardt, removing the handcuffs. "But I need answers first. Jack needs to be isolated, take him to his room. I will handle Jesse." They left the room, but not before Tracer gave him one last look of angry hatred, before she huffed out a large breath of air, and stormed off.

"What were you doing with Reaper?" Angela asked, sitting down. "Why was he acting so…strange? He didn't even notice that Reinhardt was behind him. I dislike that you hid it from us, but…Jesse, you need to come clean now. For years I have wondered if perhaps Talon did something to him, and I need you to be honest now, for everyone's sake." She took in a deep breath.

"Do you believe that Gabriel Reyes was turned against us by Talon? And if so, do you think he can be brought back from what they did to him?"

And Jesse McCree was able to look Angela directly in the eyes, and with complete confidence, said.  "Yes. To both."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a heavy chapter, now wasn't it? I completely adored it though, even though it was a bitch to write.
> 
> Also, im crying, bc i had to go back and edit so much of the last chapters with the new comic, "old soldiers"- that's what's been holding this update up. hopefully we're good for a little while longer, though. I just want to clarify that beating reaper up for being an edgy tit is my jam, as is Monster reaper, but we've not gotten into most of those hc's justttt yet. 
> 
> so, the next chapter will be the start of the new arc, if you can call it that. there's still a lot to happen. Don't worry about that- this is definitely slow burn, especially between Jack and Gabe. First arc's been mostly set up, a sort of reuniting of most of the characters. (ana and hanzo, of course, not yet) 
> 
> feel free to leave comments/critiques/jokes, i always appreciate them and they're 99% of the reason i write. be on the lookout for both my friend, rvziel's fic outlining our thoughts on pre-fall mcreaper76 dynamics including such glorious things as the BW group chat, "Strike Commander Pettison" and a young, edgy McCree being unable to address his blooming feelings for certain superior officers, as well as my other friend and I's collab about Ana and Tracer. In fact, just go read her current Tracer fic- the stars chase the sun by bagelnohida, which i endorse 100%. Something else might be on the way from me in terms of "that day" that is so often mentioned in this fic, but no promises on ETA given how fickle I am with writing...


	11. Chapter 11

The third day that Jesse McCree was in handcuffs was going to be the last, one way or another.

He'd been sitting in the airship's makeshift cell for him- his room- with his handcuffs on. Angela was visiting him with food, which he stared at morosely. "Uh, Angie, I've already apologized. Like several times." He pointed out, poking his food. He wasn't particularly hungry. "I've explained my reasons, several times. And you agree that we should look into it. And I have to find him- he wasn't in a good place, Angie, you saw that. It's been three days."

"Jesse, you had a terrorist who has been trying to kill us in our base for several days and have actively sabotaged our efforts to capture him." She sighed, rubbing her temples as she sat down. "We have been deciding as a group what to do with you, and unfortunately, it came down to a vote." Angela took in a breath. "Despite my personal opinion, most think it's best you…are turned in to authorities. I don't think we'll actually do that, but I know most are thinking of turning you out. You have endangered us all, and some think that you have to be punished for it."

"Well that's a predicament." He said, honestly a bit shocked.

"The other older members and I decided that…another vote was in order, amongst ourselves. Many of the younger members were the ones that voted against you- Fareeha, Satya, Aleks, but a few of the elder did as well; such as Winston, Tracer… and 76. However I wanted to have another meeting with them. Since you did have your reasons."

Hearing that 76 had been amongst those against him was the worst part of that. "Then I assume I'll be left here for a bit longer." He mumbled, and Angela nodded. She seemed sad.

"I…will try to convince them otherwise." She murmured. "However, Jesse…" Angela sighed, looking tired. She looked as though she had more to say, but couldn't. He nodded.

"I understand." The words tasted bitter in his mouth. She didn't want to tell him not to expect better results. Angela stood, and he listened to her footsteps leave his room, and the door closed behind her, sounding not unlike the ringing of a funeral bell, metaphorically speaking.

It was a good thing he knew how to break outta handcuffs. Being in a gang as a teen was helpful sometimes. The only reason he hadn't until this point was because he was trying to make a show of faith- that he wasn't against them. Overwatch was his family too- but Gabriel…well. He couldn't just leave him to suffer. Gabriel was as important to him, if not more so, than Overwatch itself. He was the one Jesse had known longest, the one he had cared about longest. After all, Jesse hadn't been Overwatch, he'd been Blackwatch. He was one of the last members of Blackwatch, the group known for the "Shadier shit" that Overwatch did.

And unfortunately for Jesse, his show of trust hadn't worked out in his favor.

"Fuck!" He banged his fists against the wall, wincing a bit at the metal biting deeper into his wrist. Dammit. Shit. If he had to go it alone, help Gabe alone, he would. Sure, being with Overwatch again had filled the void in his life that had existed since he inherited a second empty home, since he'd lost Jack and Gabe in one fell swoop, since he listened to Isabela Reyes be assassinated over the phone, but he was used to having to leave people behind. It was one of the few ways he'd been able to protect himself over the years.

However, he wasn't one to not meet his promises, and he had promised Gabe that he'd help him. If he just was gonna be cut loose anyway, he would do the cutting. If there was nothing here for him, then he'd go. Jesse McCree hadn't lived this long, hadn't done this much by waiting for the guillotine to drop fiddling his thumbs. Naw, he'd survived by fighting his way through, and sneaking around what he couldn't fight.

The sun went down, and people stopped moving around. He waited a while longer, slowly packing up his things, putting on his serape and his hat, before he easily broke out of his handcuffs.

It was the dead of night, and he pocketed his weapon as well as an extra change of clothes- he'd need to bathe when he got out of here. There was a train headed through Europe early this morning, he'd be able to catch it and get outta dodge before the other members woke up.

However, as he snuck out, managing to get as far as the main entrance of the airship without being caught, he heard footsteps. He jumped behind the table, watching from where the kids had apparently been playing Starcraft the night before, a drink that he'd grab in a second on the table, and he waited. And then he saw who was responsible for the noises and internally groaned. "Awhh _hell_." He complained, before he rolled out, shooting at the Talon folks as they came in from the side of the ship, before rolling back into cover. He reloaded- at least each of his bullets had found its mark, but he heard footsteps coming in fast. They were swarmed.

He could escape now. These guys would have gladly turned him in. He didn't know what kinda majority had voted him to be ousted from Overwatch- his home as much as theirs. His conscience weighed heavily on him though, at the thought of Talon harming these people. Even though they had voted to turn him in, these people were still more of a family than Jesse had had since he was a 13 year old.

"Well, fuck me." He complained to himself, before jumping out from behind cover. "Yoo hoo! Over here fuckwads! Come'n get me!" He shouted, drawing attention to himself, and laughing as he heard bullets hitting the spot directly behind him as he ran as fast he could. "Hoo lordie." He breathed out in slight fear as he ducked behind cover again, firing off rounds from under the table to shoot people in the knees, in the crotch, not willing to die here, and not willing to let his friends die either.

Especially not when it was probably Reaper who gave up their location, and they were asleep.

They fuckin' owe him one after all of this is said and done.

"Hello, Jesse." A cool voice came from behind him, and McCree tensed as he felt the business end of one of their guns up against the back of his head. And then there was a rush of air, a _guhhhh_ , and the guy fell backwards against the wall. Jesse looked behind him, and saw a goddamned arrow sticking out of his helmet.

There was someone on the roof, and as arrows rained down on talon agents through the open door and behind it, Jesse didn't really care much who they were- just that they seemed to be on his side of this mess.

He took the second and reloaded as he rolled out the other direction they'd been heading. They had been carrying something heavy, it'd looked like. The archer came down from the roof, and looked at McCree up and down as he approached.

"You are with Overwatch, yes?" The man asked, and Jesse shrugged.

"I sure as hell thought I was." He admitted as he shot the guy coming from behind his mysterious archer ally. "Name's McCree. I'm glad you're here to help, but after this is all said and done, I'm gonna have to ask a few more questions. As you can see, we're a bit busy for all proper-like introductions."

The man bowed briefly. "Hanzo, at your service. I am here because I will not let these foul people kill the person I have been looking for, in search of answers in his _sleep_."

"Jesse!" There was a shout from behind him, and the man felt a small frame against his body. "Holy shit! There are bad guys everywhere! They've brought a bomb to the middle of the ship!" Hana frantically informed him, before hugging him again. "Ugh, McCree! They were trying to tell me you're bad and stuff, but I don't believe a word of it." She huffed, indignant. "Like maybe you should have told us? But 76 didn't say boo about how he was Jack Morrison until after he nearly killed you. They all have their secrets. Also you're the only one who doesn't treat me like a kid."

She didn't look very threatening in her socks, PJ shorts, and t-shirt combo, however, she had obviously been fighting since her breathing was fast and she had to reload her mid-range light blaster. Hana Song wasn't anyone to be messed with.

"Looks like we don't have much time." Jesse rubbed his neck as he let her go. "Lets get going then." Hana and Hanzo fell in behind him, the more experienced member of Overwatch, trying to keep their advantage on Talon as McCree shot at those getting too close, Hana watched for flankers, and Hanzo sniped people from a bit further behind.

The noise the three were making as they cleared a path through the enemy was indeed finally rousing the other members.

Angela Ziegler has come out in her silk pajamas; her normally kind blue eyes glaring searing holes of hatred into enemy Talon agents. The one who was foolish enough to not back away was met with her staff, and there was a loud cracking noise as the man collapsed from the hit to the head.

"I'll send you my consultation fee." She spat on the man, hitting another as they tried to grab her from behind by whipping around with her staff extended, knocking the breath out of him as she slammed him into the wall. "I am not here for this- I need my blaster."

"Whoa! Nice shot mom!" Hana shouted cheerfully as she reloaded her gun. McCree rolled to reload Peacekeeper, giving Angela the thumbs up from a distance. Mercy was no morning person, let there be no mistake.

"OW! Ow," Hana shouted a second later as her gun was shot from her hand, the girl clutching it close to her body as she located the Talon agent that had hit her. She didn't even pick up her gun as she ran at him full speed, jumping and kicking madly as she grabbed him by the arm and bit into his shoulder, the agent desperately shaking his arm to get her off.

Jesse took pity on the man and shot him through the helmet, watching him go down as Hana released him.

"You took my kill!" She complained loudly, and Jesse rolled his eyes as he rubbed his temples with his prosthetic arm.

"Really? Now's not the time kiddo!" He pointed out before he kicked her gun back over to her.

"Brigitte!" Reinhardt's voice came from across the way, and the panic in it was clear. The teenager was both unarmed and unprotected, and Talon agents had grabbed her for it.

Hanzo- the man had at some point scaled the ship to get a better angle for this- jumped down and swung his bow around to knock around the people away from her, but the man holding her shouted at him to drop his weapon.

He paused, grimacing, hating that he sunk so low as to use the civilian against them, but dropped his bow anyway.

A sudden flash of green sped through the room, and Genji's katana was in the man's throat. "Oh, so you finally take up my invitation, Hanzo!" His voice was obviously stressed, and Jesse snorted as he saw the man wearing a rather embarrassing set of blue pjs, complete with a little nightcap. Zenyatta was wearing a matching set. "Makes sense that you couldn't come before!"

"These buffoons led me straight to you." Hanzo corrected sharply. "It is occasionally hard to track down a group of people who are borderline international criminals. Either way, be more grateful! If I were not here, you would be solely defended by the walking American stereotype!"

Zenyatta seemed to have grabbed Brigitte, making sure she was alright before bringing him over to where the Bastion unit had set up in Sentry form, rapidly shooting at the oncoming attackers, allowing the omnic and human teenager to pass, before reopening fire.

Man, was Jesse glad that he was on their side, he thought as Bastion's little arm came up to wave at Brigitte, before it beeped angrily at people behind them.

"Jesse- you know how to break out of handcuffs?" Lena shouted as she blinked past him in a flash of blue light, firing her pulse guns off into the fray as well. She was only wearing a tank top and a red thong with ribbons down the back side, and Jesse briefly wondered how the hell she got her clothes off while wearing the chronal accelerator. But then the question registered.

"Wait, you thought I _couldn't_?" He asked, bewildered. "I was just playing nice and by the rules! I was in a _gang_ , people, of course I know how to break out of handcuffs!"

Lúcio blew past him, wearing a green pair of "are you nasty" booty shorts and his skates, giving them all a speed boost. "I told them so!" He shouted. "I told them you could, it's just a skill that you learn when the police are after your ass!"

Jesse was about to agree; before he remembered the fact they had a time limit here. "Shit!" He shouted, before taking off. "Han Solo, Prima donna, Angie- you guys watch my ass." He called back, and though Hanzo and Hana looked affronted, they followed him anyway once Mercy pressed them forward with her staff.

As they ran past Hana snorted as Reinhardt and Torbjörn fought off a few people chasing them, seeing as how Reinhardt was just in tighty-whiteys and a pair of bunny slippers, while Torbjörn was in sweat pants and an undershirt.

However, that meant there was finally a clear path, and Roadhog and Junkrat were fighting off a few people as Mei tried to block off others, closing the room off with an ice wall, wearing an oversized t-shirt with a panda on it and baby blue panties.

"How did Jesse get out?!" Mei shouted as she froze fighters off.

"For fucks sake!" Jesse complained, as he reloaded again, shooting the man that had the bomb in his hands, and missing, the man going around the other side and getting cover from his allies. "None of ya'll listen! I was in a gang, it teaches you certain things, and there is definitely a reason that Gabriel Reyes was the only officer to ever catch my ass! Either way, be grateful! They're laying down a fucking _bomb_!"

"I know! That's what I brought him for!" Mei shouted back, cursing as she was shot in the arm. "But he doesn't know how to defuse that!"

Junkrat ran past, shoving a bomb in some guys pants. "I thought the soldier types just picked you out 'cause your ass was pretty mate!"

"HELL NO!" Jesse shouts as he finally manages to get one of the covering agents, running into the fray with Hana, Hanzo sniping the ones that had started to run from the bomb. "Gabe was the only one with sense to knock me out before tying me up much better than just handcuffs."

Angela sighed. " And Gabe's rope work was so messy compared to mine, I can't believe I allowed you to just stay in handcuffs…how did I forget that."

"No time for that, Angie!" Jesse shouted as the doctor healed Mei's arm. "You guys get out. I'll buy us more time. There's nothing I can do about that." He jerked to the large bunch of explosives that attached to the engine. "But I can buy us some extra time. They're supposed to go off with this, if I can defuse it, they'll probably just fire into our ship to get it, but it'll get us a few extra minutes. Clear house, Angie." He knelt on the ground, and got out some of his emergency equipment that he'd packed up when he'd been planning on leaving.

"I'm staying." Hana said next to him, and Jesse's heart wrenched. "Go, mom, I'll make sure gay cowboy gets out too."

"Shit, Hana." He cussed, but got to work, looking down as the footsteps of Mercy, Mei, Junkrat and Roadhog all faded. "Heya, Hanzo? You there?"

"Indeed." The Japanese man stated from slightly a bit away. "I am making sure that you are not interrupted by any other agents."

"Awesome. If I say so, I want you to grab her and run." Jesse said firmly, even as Hana made a loud noise of disagreement. "Hana, I won't make you leave now, but you're young. 19. You're no more a kid than I was at your age, but you got your whole life aheada ya. If I can't do this, I wanna make sure that you go on. After all." He grinned as he got to the wires of the thing, inspecting it carefully before he started to move along. "Someone has to continue my legacy of being the resident troublemaker."

"Where'd you learn to defuse a bomb?" She asked after a few more seconds.

"Ah." He murmured, taking out the tool that had been in his mouth. "You see, oftentimes people will forget that while Overwatch's missions were dangerous… they weren't quite like Blackwatch. Blackwatch missions were…well, extremely dangerous. Hell, sometimes deadly if things went sideways in even a lil' way. I learned to defuse bombs on the clock. Some of the other members of the OG Overwatch learned, but I learned faster. It was one of the first missions where my dying handler taught me to do it. Since it was either defuse it or die there, and I wasn't about to die at 18."

And then it was done. The timer paused, with 2 minutes to spare. He took in a deep breath, before he let it out again. "Alright. Let's go. We have 3 minutes max before they realize something's wrong. Take only the essentials." He instructed Hana, the younger girl nodding.

She hugged him again, before she ran off to her room.

Hanzo nodded out of respect, following her to protect her. Jesse took in a small breath of relief, before walking back out. The fight had become a bit more hunkered down, and everyone was awake now.

"Bomb's defused." Jesse informed Angela as he ducked into cover with her. "We need to get out now, though. There's more explosives in that room now than I'd like to admit, so they can just blow the ship and call it good once they figure out it won't blow on its own."

"Zarya, 76 and Winston have already escorted Symmetra out into the city." She informed him. "She is constructing a teleporter- Ah, there it is!" She said, glad to see it formed in the base of its own accord, letting out a breath of relief. "Everyone, out." She said, and people began throwing things through the teleporter, Bastion leaving with Brigitte first, followed quickly by Lúcio and Hana, Junkrat helping Mei through it as well- she'd been shot again, this time in the leg, it seemed.

"C'mon, everyone hurry on up!" Jesse said, watching as one by one, Overwatch's new forces ran through the teleporter, until it was just Angela and himself.

"That it?" He asked her, and she nodded, clutching her crossed off list of names. "Ladies first." He gestured, and she grabbed his arm, pulling him through with her, refusing to let him out of her sight.

They came to on the other side, as Jesse's predictions came true, and they saw the Talon ships in the air begin to fire missiles into the ship's engine. Hana and Lúcio ran over to him, hugging him close, as the ship they had all been on started to glow a blinding white, before they saw a flash of light, and there was a shockwave that followed in the immediate aftermath.

"My god." Lena's shocked voice came as she sat on the floor, her whole body shaking. "That woulda been _us_." As the light died, they saw the fire in the distance, building in the skies, and in the light they could watch as the Talon ships left, fading into the night sky.

"It almost was." Hanzo murmured, tilting his head forward.

"Does anyone have any injuries?" Angela's shaken question disturbed their silence a few seconds later, and there was a variety of responses. There were a few- Mei had a gunshot wound to the calf, Genji's robotics had a few scuffs from knife wounds and a few holes from bullets. Junkrat seemed to be more on fire than usual. Brigitte had a bruise on her arm from where she had been grabbed.

But the gravity of the situation had hit everyone. If Jesse making such a racket while he was fighting off people hadn't woken them up, they would all be dead.

All of them were still in their PJs, with the exception of Zarya, who was wearing what appeared to be Symmetra's robe, as it had a VISHKAR Logo on it.

But they were all out in one piece.

"Where do we go now?" Fareeha's voice was small, shocked that they had been that close to death. She was wearing a silk negligee over her civilian prosthetics, her battle suit in a bag over her shoulder.

"Well." Jesse coughed before he spoke up. "There's a train leaving in an hour or so from the station a few blocks down. I was planning on hoppin' on, but…it's probably the smart way out, before Talon realizes that we're not as dead as they'd like us to be. It's headed through Europe. We can…you know, camp out at Gibraltar and figure out how to move forward from there."

"That's the plan, then." Winston spoke up, taking control now that the shock was starting to wear off.

"I brought changes of clothes!" Hana shouted, holding up the bag she'd brought with her. "I pilfered the laundry room for them after Han Solo and I grabbed everyone's wallets and passports from their personal effects."

"My name is Hanzo." He disagreed lightly, before handing over the smaller bag with personal effects that had he had deemed most important to Angela.

"Well, thank you." Angela said, clearly a tad bit overwhelmed. "I am surprised you thought to grab these, but thankful nonetheless, just as I am immensely grateful that you chose to help us when you did. From what I heard Genji say earlier, are you his…"

"He is." Genji spoke up from where Torbjörn was patching up his robotics. "My brother, that is. I am also grateful that he decided to come when he did, surprised as well, but in a different way than you are, I believe, Dr. Ziegler."

Hanzo looked at her in curiosity. "The last time few times he and I have met in person, we fought. But he has since informed me through letters the nature of how he survived. He is not the brother I once knew, but…there is no other way that he could know the things he does. You are the woman who… sustained his life?" He inquires, and Angela frowned at the use of "sustained" rather than "Saved", but didn't say anything.

After all, Genji had mentioned to her that he was trying to reconnect with his brother.

"I am." She nodded. "And please, call me Angela, Genji. We have known each other for so long." The woman smiled as she grabbed out a few clothes from the bag. "But we should hurry up and change. I do not know about you all, but I am not keen to remain out in the open in nothing but my bed clothes." She murmured as she walked off, and the group broke apart to go find secluded places to change.

Jesse found that Hana had even grabbed him a spare change of clothes, and after being in them for 3 days straight, he found it a welcome change.

Then he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he about jumped outta his skin.

"J-76!" He corrected himself after another moment of shock, before shaking his head. He looked the man up and down, before he stared at his shirt and pants. The shirt said, "The man, the legend," and had an arrow pointing to his dick, while the pants were obviously a too-small pair of baby pink sweats, the word "JUICY" on the back in bright pink sequins. Jesse knew that without even looking, because they were his clothes.

"76? Why are you dressed in my clothes?" He asked after a second more of staring, 76 seeming unable to come up with words himself. "More than that…" He took in a breath, and let it out, looking tired. "Why are you here? Aren't you…well, aren't you mad at me?"

"...I'm sorry." Were the first words, and 76 turned away a bit, obviously a bit ashamed now. "You didn't have to help any of us, you could have just left, but you managed to stall the majority of the agents, and defused a bomb that would have gotten us a lot more injured had it gone off." he admitted. "That was brave of you, Jesse," he said quietly, unsure about how to feel if Jesse had gone and left them without resolving anything. He had been incredibly angry, but there was something about the thought of losing everything that tended to put things in perspective, especially since he knew that Angela had told Jesse they had already decided to turn him away.

Or worse, he imagined another scenario wherein Jesse hadn't been able to get out.  Dead brown eyes buried beneath rubble of a burning ship, betrayed by those he was supposed to be protected by.  It felt like being doused into cold water as he imagined practically doing what Gabriel had done to him, to Jesse.  Jesse'd sat in holding for 3 days as they'd argued over his fate.  He'd not even gone to talk to him- he'd been so blinded by his own anger that he'd not even gone to ask for an explanation.  The idea of losing more people to fires of an explosion just sent him reeling.  While other members thought Jesse could just be working for Talon, 76 knew him better than that.  He wasn't the type of person to double cross people.  Never had been.  No, deep down, he felt scalded that Jesse hadn't told him and betrayed that Jesse had picked Gabriel over him.  Gabriel was dangerous, evil even.  He felt no remorse for what he did.  Jesse though, Jesse had a soft spot for Gabe.   He'd had one for him ever since he'd really gotten into Blackwatch's work.  Additionally, Talon had been hunting Jesse down as well before Overwatch even restarted, and though he wasn't necessarily a "good guy" as a few had pointed out, Jesse was very much against Talon.  

He'd already tossed out the idea that Jesse had coordinated this attack given that they'd taken his cellphone, and he'd already found it still in the bag of personal effects Hanzo and Hana had collected, and had been keeping him under surveillance the past several days.  And because he definitely remembered a mission where Jesse had defused a bomb before the fall.  

No.  Jesse wasn't working with Talon knowingly.  

"Awwh, Hell." Jesse muttered, pulling his grump into a hug, even if Jack didn't necessarily deserve it. "Y'all are my family. I wasn't about to let them destroy it even if you guys were fuckin' up. N' you're right. I could have. I was going to, s' why I was ready to go when they came in." He huffed. "Especially since you guys wanted to hand me off to authorities. That was a touch hurtful, I'll admit, a bit more after I heard you were on the "Away" team." He paused. "Reaper was almost certainly the one who told them where we were."

"I'm sorry," 76 said again, sighing and going to nuzzle Jesse a little. "You're right. I was angry that you'd hidden him from us. Angry because I felt like you chose him over me.  Angry that you prioritized him over our safety.  Taking you to the authorities might have been overkill, I admit," he said quietly this time, rubbing small circles on Jesse's back, feeling the fabric of the familiar serape.  Gabriel's mother had given Jesse this for his 28th birthday.  But he felt somewhat vindicated to hear Jesse admit it was Reaper who had ousted them to Talon.   It was Reaper that Jack drew most issue with.  Jesse's soft spot might leave him vulnerable to attack, just as 76 had once been.  76 was furious that Jesse didn't think that Gabriel was manipulating him.  Didn't Jesse see?  That loving him was a mistake, just a way for Gabriel to get close, before stabbing him in the back and twisting the knife?

"I'm glad to hear _someone_  apologize for that." Jesse mumbled, rolling his eyes a bit. "I'm not the only member with a bounty on my ass.  But look-I ain't keeping any other secrets between us, alright?  That was it.  Wish you coulda come talked to me, and we coulda already resolved this...but I get you. I felt weird, but you...well.  You have your own issues.  But I sure as hell ain't choosing either of you over the other. Gabi needs help. And I promised to help him."

76 tensed again, before pulling away. "Jesse…even if you're telling the truth about it all, or what you _think_ is the truth, he's  _dangerous_ , and you're calling him Gabi like nothing's changed.Everything's changed."

Jesse only sighed, looking away, toward the ground. "Look." He handed his clothes to 76, before turning away completely. "I'm _not_ arguing about this right now. I ain't betraying you, and I ain't betraying Overwatch. But Gabe needs me too, so I ain't betraying him either."

And 76 didn't follow him when he walked away, his gun put away on his hips, the sound of his footsteps echoing the melancholy inside of him at the thought that Gabriel had been the one to tell Talon where they were, that they'd almost died, that 76 was sorry, that Gabriel, as upset and disjoined and scared as he was the last time he'd seen him, was now at the complete mercy of the people who had nearly killed a 15 year old girl along with a handful of celebrities who had nothing to do with the old battles Overwatch once fought solely for the purpose of eliminating the threat to their plans before it became an actual issue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now that's what i call a fast update! Talon's made their first real move against Overwatch now, and Hanzo finally makes his appearance!
> 
> I'd just like to say thanks to my friend Sam for the help deciding which overwatch members wore what to bed, and a shoutout for the help plotting this out when I realized yesterday that I had. no notes. of any kind for this chapter or the next one immediately after it. That's definitely different now.
> 
> Thank you for your support!! I hope this chapter was interesting to read as it was to write! (and that the pacing isnt terrible.)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, lovelies. the first 2000 words took me what feels like a week to get through. the rest of it was basically done overnight. We're in for a heavy chapter, that ends on a relatively lighter note. 
> 
> I'd like to call your attention to the fact this story now has a prequel, one that I endorse 100% written by my friend Sam called "the freeway leads to the grave". It's writing is fantastic, I can only bask in its glory. If you want to know the "full" story of what they used to be before they were this, I highly recommend going and reading it! It's mostly Reaper76 with pining on Jesse's part, before they start to pine after Jesse as well. There are indeed quips of it that have wound up in here, given that Sam and I write a lot of this together. 
> 
> Additionally, my friend hida and I uploaded another story that outlines more of Ana's backstory and also features more of Tracer being a useless lesbian. Ana's being mentioned more frequently now... i wonder where she is? :) All in good time.

In the wee hours of the morning, Mei-Ling Zhao and Hana Song had to buy train tickets for a handful of people that were about to be borderline international fugitives. They had gotten out of their nightclothes, thankfully, but it was still around stupid o'clock in the morning. And Mei, honestly, didn't deserve this.

Upon return, they found the team hanging out in an otherwise empty restaurant by where Symmetra had teleported them off the ship. Junkrat seemed to be drinking boba, something which all of them questioned. Not because boba tea wasn't good, but because the man had been extremely specific about how he liked it, and when did that man have the time to acquire such a unique taste?

That aside, they all seemed to be tired, but there was nowhere for them to go except out of China. Brigitte had gone to sleep again, the 15-year-old girl's head on her father's lap, Reinhardt looking extremely protective of her.

It was around that time that the skies started to look a dull grey, as though the sun was going to start to come out, but not yet.

"Should we be leaving McCree uncuffed?" It was Symmetra's voice that broke the silence, their group having otherwise having been tense, but quiet. "Is this a wise decision on our part? Certainly, he saved our lives back there, but it is a bit too… convenient for my tastes."

"It is rather convenient." Torbjorn agreed, although he sounded rather uneasy. "You were always close with Reyes."

"We all were." Jesse pointed out, irritated that this was brought up again. He expected it as much as he hadn't. "Gabriel was one of the captains in Overwatch. Yes, he was my boss, but he knew several of you on very personal levels."

"Not all of us have helped him get inside our ship." Reinhardt sheepishly said, a bit upset by the whole affair. He would normally have sided with Jesse- after all, Jesse was his friend, and a friend that was occasionally prone to be a tad ballsy, but Brigitte was here, and his other friends had a point that Jesse had been gone for many years, and lord only knew what could have happened to him in that time frame. He wanted to trust him, but…there was too much at stake, too much that could be wrong.

"Hey, look. I've already told Angie, I didn't help him on. I came back to my room after 76 did that number on me, and found him as a smoke…thing." Jesse argued, though it was weak. . "He's…he couldn't reform. He…he was in pain."

Winston's eyes bored into Jesse, hard. "Even if that's true- Gabriel is a terrorist, and a criminal, one who is hunting us down to kill us all. Additionally, you took the shot for him."

"At your request!" Jesse's eyes widened at the insinuation there, wondering if they really thought that lowly of him. "We didn't want Reaper _dead_ , and neither did I!"

"Either way." Winston sat down, closing his eyes. "Jesse, I am in command of Overwatch now. We have been trying to capture him and he was allegedly here in a spot of vulnerability. By not giving us the information you had and helping us take him, you disobeyed orders and endangered us all."

That last part, Jesse couldn't really argue with. "Look, I had to be sure. But I am now. I was sure that day when I went to get Angie, to get him _help_. He said he'd trusted me, trusted me to help him. And what you lot did made him _run_!"

"Jesse, he's a bad guy!" Tracer shouted at him, tired and irritable and honestly done fighting about this. "He has no redeeming characteristics whatsoever as far as most of us have seen. If you're not Talon, then you need to wake up from whatever delusion you've gotten into your head since Gabriel Reyes is not a good person! Just because you're not used to having to listen to the rules the rest of us play by, doesn't mean we're going to let you slide here!"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Jesse asked in a low growl, taken aback at the low blow. "I worked in Blackwatch, sure, all of you knew that- but that doesn't mean that I-."

"Honestly?" Mei's tired voice came up, as the rest of the group seemed to get around this discussion as well. Jesse suddenly felt surrounded, but he swallowed. No use letting his panic show. They'd use it against him- mob mentality was real, and dangerous. "Blackwatch was full of traitors. I read the reports after I woke up. And 76 thinks that you are a traitor too." There were murmurs of agreement, and Jesse felt bitterness growing within him even as he tried to think of a response.

"We don't have time for those who subvert orders and put others at risk even if he isn't a traitor." Aleksandra's voice was hard, but not that surprising. He felt ganged up on, and even though he was trying his best to stay calm, he was afraid.

"And the truth is, it's far more likely that you, like the rest of Blackwatch, went bad with him. You disappeared right after the explosion!" Tracer made a face of disapproval as her hands crossed over her chest. "That's definitely suspect!"

That hit Jesse hard, and it was clear to most of them. He gaped at the accusation. "I was at Jack's _funeral_."

"He was." Angela vouched. "They didn't let him carry Jack's casket, despite how Jack's will had indeed implicated him. He was extremely upset. He wasn't even allowed to really be seen amongst most of us since he was Blackwatch. In part, Blackwatch disbanded and disappeared because without Reyes and Morrison, who would say that they still received their orders from the UN? Additionally, he went to the Reyes' funerals in California. I went as well." She paused. "There were mostly people from Blackwatch. But both Torbjorn and Reinhardt came with me for Gabriel, but I was the one who stayed for Gabriel's siblings' funerals as well."

Reinhardt nodded, and Angela's hard gaze on him felt like judgment for not taking Jesse's side like a good friend. He remembered Jesse shouting about UN officials blocking him off from his own goddamned lover's funeral, remembered the way his anger didn't even completely absorb Jesse. He'd been rooting for the three of them, he had. But it hadn't been meant to be. He felt ashamed of himself somewhat. Angela was right there- Jesse being Blackwatch hadn't meant anything to them, but everything to the public and the UN. It had left him with nothing worth staying for, and he'd left, wanting nothing to do with infighting once the people he was staying for were dead.

"Let me be very clear for you all." Angela's voice was hard, but she put her hand on Jesse's shoulder, squeezing it. "I disapprove of him not coming forward to us sooner. But some of what you all are saying shows me very clearly why he might not have trusted us."

"Yeah. No way McCree is actually Talon. I understand that it can be hard to see with his smartass mouth and unique way of conducting business, but Jesse is actually a good guy underneath his ridiculous get-up." Genji spoke for him, and Jesse felt it was interesting Genji was coming to his defense.

"Yeah! He's a good guy!" Hana went over to him, their group breaking apart the circle that had been forming around McCree. "I was with him the whole night when we left Ilios! Gabriel must have gotten on the ship by himself!"

"We think he has somewhat of a point and besides-" Lúcio's even stare made a few people avert their gazes, as the group circling was further broken apart. "-Its not the only secret that's been kept around here."

All eyes were on 76, the man having been strangely quiet. He looked tense now, looking down so that he didn't even have to see their faces, but he felt their stares of judgment.

"We didn't tell new members about 76 to protect him." Winston defended him, disliking the comparison there. "76 is… _unstable_ , at times."

Hana stuck out her tongue at that. "Uh, Jesse didn't tell you about Gabriel to protect him. Gabriel is unstable at times. Maybe he's unstable _more_ than 76 is, but the principle is the same."

Tracer looked a bit torn there, but she gave her best attempt to reason with them. "Guys, I know you want to assume the best of things here, but listen- Reaper is evil, he is a ruthless killer!"

Lúcio spoke up again, becoming more confident, seeing how the group was clearly confused by their ardent support of McCree. "But how do we know that Reaper is actually Gabriel? Could he be something that was done _to_ Gabriel?" He took in a breath. "Look- Jesse met him on the road to Ilios. I had been in the car, I walked in to ask about buying some candy, but when I found Jesse he had Reaper sprawled on his lap, mask off, gloves off, literally just cuddling with Jesse. Jesse had just asked him questions about how he survived, talking softly with him n' stuff. And he had just asked who had told him that Mercy had been the one to do it, but then I had to open my big mouth."

Hanzo finally spoke up as well, shaking his head. "Look, all I know about this situation is that I saw McCree attempting to leave, before he noticed them as well. He went to cover, stayed there for a few moments, before he came out and started shooting, and they began to shoot him as well. They had not realized he was there. One of them managed to get him from behind, and had been ready to shoot him, until I made my presence known."

Fareeha had been awfully quiet once she'd rejoined the group. She'd been going through her phone for messages- she'd received one from her mother and had informed the woman that Talon's attempt to kill them hadn't worked. But while she was in it, she had found an old video. " _If I die, make sure this video is the only thing left of my legacy."_ Jesse McCree's rather entertaining account of a Blackwatch Mission, back after he'd just lost his arm that he made in protest of a swear ban. He'd sent her a copy telling her to make fun of her uncle whenever she wanted. She had been in basic training back then, and her squad was both awed by the fact she had so much access to Overwatch as disturbed how she perceived her "uncle Reyes."

It had been years since she had watched it, since it really only made her sad to think about those times gone past.

Jesse, though he didn't talk about it now, had become like the older brother she'd never had. He'd sneak her candy, into movies, play games with her, and generally treated her like a kid sister. He'd been the one she'd called about birth control options, the one who when her mom was unavailable would go red faced and buy her feminine products. When Ana had been pronounced dead, he had spent the most time with her, gone the most out of his way to seek her out and make sure she was holding up alright.

The smile in the video was so earnest and warm, even when he told Gabriel over the camera that he earned this because he was an ass. The one he wore these days rarely met his eyes. _"Sometimes life's a bitch, Fareeha."_ Jesse had murmured through his own tears, hugging her tight. _"N' it takes things that it shouldn't. But your mom wouldn't want you to be sad- she'd want you to remember how much she loved you, and wanted better for you. Losing your loved ones is not easy, especially when you're so young."_

And now she stood in the middle of a fight over Jesse, his very character having been called into question, and even though she'd disliked he'd fallen off the map, he'd gone through his share of getting the shit end of the stick.

Jesse was always a good person, her mom had been sure of that. Even though he always had a soft spot for Gabriel, Ana did as well, even now, when she was working behind the scenes to go through Talon's history. "You know what," she spoke up, deciding to pull through for him. "Leave him uncuffed. He made a mistake, and he's already paid enough for it. Angela and Genji are right in that Jesse is a good person- being in Blackwatch doesn't mean anything. We aren't an army. We're a group of people who are mostly old friends, and Jesse is here at great personal risk given that he had a safe hiding spot back in the United States."

Everyone looked at her in shock, especially Jesse, seeming bewildered by her sudden defense of him. "Oh. Thanks, Fareeha." He scratched at his head a bit, looking a bit flustered now.

"Indeed." Zenyatta hummed, the omnic just now deciding to speak up. "And I _believe_ I overheard 76 himself telling Jesse that he was sorry for accusing him of collusion with Reaper, keeping him in handcuffs, and saying he should be handed off to authorities."

There was group wide silence at that, all eyes on the man in question, before 76 took in a deep breath.

"I did, in fact, apologize for all of that." He agreed, sounding a bit like he regretted everything that had led up to this point in his life. "Jesse's a good man. And it couldn't have been a set up. He saved our lives when he could have just cut ties and run, that puts us somewhat in his debt. We can argue back and forth about what could have happened with Reaper on the ship, but none of it did. What did happen was that he saved our necks. So we owe him one, and we should leave him uncuffed, and drop this…issue."

The team seemed willing to follow that logic, even though Tracer looked a bit angry at them for respecting his opinion more than hers and Winston's.

Jesse just felt relieved. He was given a reprieve.

But the look on Tracer's face made it clear that it was just one.

XXXXX

"Wanted men are assigned to the cargo!" Angela said cheerfully as she came up beside Jesse by from where he had been hanging out after everything while the members who weren't public criminals got on the train and had to deal with 5 AM fans going insane over their presence. Mei especially was getting a lot of attention. "Jesse, that means you, along with 76, Hanzo, Bastion, Junkrat and Roadhog."

"Ugh." He groaned, getting up and following her, collecting 76, along with the others on the route.

76 sighed at being told he was cargo again, accepting his continued fate with public transportation being his new number one enemy. "This will get old fast- we either need transport, or we need to set up in Gibraltar or another Watchpoint." He complained to Jesse.

Jesse grinned, hugging him with one arm as he made a loud noise of agreement, surprised when 76 came closer and wrapped an arm around him as well. "I ain't a stranger to sneaking around trains. At least this time I'm not _outside_ the train." He hummed, surprised but grateful that 76- after all that had happened- was still willing to be this close to him. "And, of course, it's made immensely better by the fact you're in it with me."

76 snorted at that, rolling his head. "Didn't Talon attack you on a train to Houston?" He asked, looking at Jesse. "Why Houston, anyways? What did you need there?" He leaned a second longer into his hold, before letting go and following the rest of them into the cargo area, having to jump up to get in.

"It was a set up." Jesse shrugged a bit, sighing as he climbed in with 76. "They were looking for something on that train, and I wound up taking all the blame for its disappearance, and I was accused of trying to hijack the train. Added a helluva lot more money to my bounty." He boasted, but the other men with bounties on their heads just snorted, everyone separating to hide in different general areas. Him and 76 sat down together behind some suitcases. "But yanno what? That was the first time I realized that Talon acted a helluva lot like Blackwatch. One of them even said my name. Sounded like a member I never saw again after that…"

"A member you never saw again," 76 echoed. "I'm assuming you mean because you killed them. _H Christ_. They were right under our nose the entire time and none of us noticed... how the hell did we not notice?" he asked, sounding a little bitter about it all.

"How the hell you think I felt 'bout it?" Jesse asked, sighing. "I joined because- well, because I wasn't about to go to prison, but I _stayed_ because I thought I was doing something good. N' look how it all turned out. There were signs that it was coming apart from the inside, sure. But there was a lot going on. We were all blind to it until it was too late. We can't just focus on what we missed in the past if we want to change things. For all the bad in Overwatch and Blackwatch, it wasn't all bad. We had each other, after all."

"A lot of it was corrupt, Jesse- more than you realize. Maybe its better that Overwatch stays dead." 76 reminded him, pulling his hands away. They disagreed on this issue, but it hadn't come up before. "You remember the smear campaigns against us. You saw them leak the Blackwatch documents, making all of you wanted men one by one, you saw the way people spat at us after they were angry we weren't their golden boys as the UN stood above us as though they had nothing to do with us, even though all of our orders came from _them_." 76's words were laced with disgust, the mere memory of the ordeal enough to make him angry.

Jesse put his hand down on 76's again, rubbing at the skin. "…It's been over for a while, though, 76. I saw all of it, you're right. But it's over. I was a wanted man before, still am. What sucks is how many of the good people got taken down with it." He kissed his visor on the hunch that he knew how to get through to him. He was serious when he said he didn't want to argue. He'd known that 76 wasn't here to restart Overwatch, he was with them because their fight matched his, for the time being. But Jesse had come back because he'd heard that Jack Morrison was alive and with them. "You were one of them."

"Now we're both wanted men," 76 corrected, ignoring the statement about how he was a good man. He wished he felt comfortable enough to take off his visor and kiss Jesse. He couldn't with his current company, though. But _Hanzo_ was there, and 76 knew that Jesse would be interested in him. And he was nothing if not possessive of what he considered to be _his_. He would figure that out in a minute, the trip was supposed to be a few hours anyways. "Technically we're all wanted now, if that explosion is traced back to us, and it will be, and it'll definitely be on the news today." A pause. "So Gabriel's turned us _all_ into wanted men."

Jesse closed his eyes, and groaned. _Here we fucking go,_ he thought, but 76 had remained calm about the rest, and it seemed like he wasn't immediately in danger of being thrust out of Overwatch. And he'd come down enough from the adrenaline high to know that it was time to talk with Jack about this- about _Gabe_.

The train began moving beneath them.

"I don't really want to be rude, and I don't want to argue about this, 76. Gabriel has been brainwashed, and I had gotten really far with breaking that down to see him underneath it still. He's had so many chances to kill me but he didn't, that has to count for something. I gave you another chance when I came back, just by coming back. And I gave him another chance, and I still see something worth fighting for in him." Jesse said, his opinion on the subject firm.

"Does he even _deserve_ another chance?" Jack's haunches rose defensively. "Just because _you_ think he's brainwashed? How can we know the difference between being brainwashed and him just having betrayed us, Jesse?"

"Uh, I don't _think_ he's been brainwashed, I know it." Jesse retorted. "I've spent the most amount of time with him. And I've seen him break down- several times. And the fact of the matter is I saw _exactly_ what his triggers include. Your name, Angie's name, Overwatch itself were just a few. The fact of the matter is that he could go from batshit to boneless if you distracted him or disoriented him. When he spoke in Spanish in Ilios? That was Gabi."

"I don't get it." 76's voice was small, before he shook his head and stared at Jesse. "After everything he's done…" He was getting louder now. "For fuck's sake, Jesse the amount of times he's tried killing me and now you, and you still call him _Gabi_!" Jack was shouting now. "Brainwashing doesn't excuse bombing the base- the _ship_ and nearly killing us all, how do you know that letting you see that isn't just a way for him to manipulate you? How do you _know_?"

"He wasn't even here tonight, 76!" Jesse argued, heated. "It was just a bunch of faceless Talon agents, no Gabe, no Widowmaker!"

"But how do you know it's not just an act?" 76 shouted, his voice somehow shrill even with how the smoke had changed it and his shoulders tense. Jesse could feel the intensity of his gaze even through the red lens of the visor. "We let Amelié go back to Gérard! We thought she was _fine_! And then she killed him- murdered him in his sleep! She killed him, and I don't want him to kill you!"

"He's already had multiple opportunities to do that. I've had sex with him _multiple_ times- and he could have killed me any of those times! But he hasn't. Hell, he's taken off his mask around me, willingly given me his guns and removed his gloves." Jesse fired back, glad to hear that 76 cared about his wellbeing, but at the same time, it felt like an unfair double standard considering that 76 had technically already _killed_ him. "N' the only one to try and off me is _you_ , 76. I'm not a dumb man, but _fuck_ \- I forgave you for something you couldn't control, I have to give him the chance as well! If this bites me in the ass you can kill him, and I won't stop you. But until I know for fact that I can't save him, I can't leave him behind."

"Fine," 76 spat, bitter and upset and scared that he was going to lose Jesse because he was dumb enough to trust Gabriel and angry that Jesse had apparently had sex with the terrorist but not him and slightly feeling one-upped hearing that Gabriel had no qualms taking off his mask around Jesse. "Do what you need. You were always closer to him anyways." He went to leave, his emotions a nasty ball inside of him, weighing him down.

" _76_!" Jesse snapped at Jack, his ability to deal with him that had already been spread so thin breaking altogether. "I've already said before that I care about you too, and that I'm _not_ picking one of you over the other! What if, _hypothetically_ , we find out later, after you _hypothetically_ kill him, that he wasn't in control of it, how would you feel? Can you think about that?" Jesse rubbed his forehead, shaking his head in exhaustion. "Jesus _fuck_ , it's not worth it to keep tryin' for someone who's not willing to try for me. I'll go have some fun with Shimada #1, if this is how it is just going to be between us! He's _grumpy_ enough for my tastes, apparently!"

76 stopped at that, and turned back to face Jesse, arms crossed. "…I just don't want you getting killed. I really don't," He looked down a little, kicking the ground, feeling like he'd been called out. Jesse was trying for him. Trying a lot. Trying more than he deserved, even, with how skittish and brusque he knew that he could be, how he could act like an ass. Was 76 trying for Jesse? He had to meet Jesse halfway somewhere. "…It's not that I don't trust you, Jesse. I just don't trust _him_. I _don't_ want a repeat of what happened with Lacroix. I don't think I could bear losing you, Jesse. You put so much faith into people and get hurt so easily." He was almost definitely referring to when Jesse tried to be the glue between he and Gabriel, and thinking his heart had softened after such a long time.

Jesse snorted loudly, rolling his eyes.

"You are _drastically_ overestimating my trust in people, partner." Jesse pointed out, hands on his hips. "I've been on my own since I was _13_ years old. I trust people I know- n' I know you, just like how I know Gabe. Don't get hurt half as easily as you think; n' I'm not nearly as breakable as you're makin' me out to be. And I don't think they did to him what they did to widowbitch. So I can't give up on him until I'm completely sure Gabi's not still in there."

There was silence. 76 was adequately cowed by Jesse, and he felt shame mix and mingle with his residual anger. He was angry at Gabriel, angry that he was even still a thought in Jesse's mind after everything. But Jesse was right. All that time ago when they'd first started 'dating', Jesse had made it clear to them both that he wasn't going to pick. That he was with them _both_. That he cared about them both. When he'd spend nights going back and forth between their offices, carrying notes and coffee, eventually dragging one of them to the other and making them apologize. The way that he'd sleep in Gabriel's bed and hold him after his mother had died, the way he'd come into Jack's office and pick him up and drag him away from the articles and the work to make him rest. The way he'd force them both to eat regular meals. His vehement dislike of the UN, going so far as to organize a "fuck the UN" day at the base they'd been stationed at in the US for all the leaks.

Jesse's addition to his and Gabriel's failing relationship had preserved them for another year. But by that point, the train was too out of control, and it was all Jesse, Jack and Gabriel could do just to hold onto it to save themselves, before the whole thing blew up and left them all alone, thinking the others were dead and gone or otherwise out of reach.

His current dead-set attitude on helping Gabriel back into their fold paralleled the way that he refused to let Gabriel wallow in depression after Martha's death, and refused to let Jack think he wasn't worth being with. Jesse was always so determined to help them see the things they didn't. The things they couldn't notice with how they both got stuck in their individual ruts of self-doubt.

Jesse always was good at seeing what was there even when others were blind to it. Maybe it was time to trust in that ability of his again.

"...What do you think they did, then?" 76 asked, stepping a little closer. He knew that he had irritated Jesse at this point, and didn't want to overstep boundaries. But he wanted to try and move past things, avoid talking about what he did, but instead about why Jesse thought that way. He had to meet him half way somewhere, better it'd be here and now rather than a few more years down the line with nothing but more regrets. "How is it different from what they did to Amelié to make her Widowmaker?"

"They kept his personality intact." Jesse mumbled after a moment. "I think they realized if they did something to him, like they did to Widowmaker, we woulda noticed." That made sense. "Some of his memories are fine too. But…others, they're completely warped. He accused Angela of trying to make him into a zombie puppet after you destroyed the base. Didn't you tell me once that someone did try to make another member of your group into a zombie soldier after his death?"

"They tried," 76 nodded. "Private Marshall was declared brain dead, and they wanted to try and make him into a zombie soldier. After it failed, they worked on covering it up, said he was KIA to the family," 76 sighed, seeing how that would be an easy tale to spin to Gabriel. "So you think they manipulated his memories to turn him against us. Then what about the incident? If you're claiming that he's still underneath it, then why does he know what happened in Zurich? How can he not remember it but then use it so neatly against me?"

"I think whatever they did to him makes it so he can't remember things consciously. He's told me several different versions of the incident. They're not the type of changes that a criminal changing his story would make; they're more of the variety that makes me wonder how sane he actually is. He first told me that you were the one who blew up the base and killed him, and that you had killed yourself in the blast. Then he told me that he regretted what he had done to you, seeming to know that he was the one behind it all. And then he later said that you got what you deserved and he'd do it again." Jesse recounted. "He's a little…disjointed." He admitted. "I worry for him though, since I think he was finally realizing how little he remembered, like actually remembered, that last night. "And 76, can you honestly say that you didn't notice…slight changes in him? How he'd grow quicker to anger at certain things? About Overwatch specifically?"

"...I noticed," he said quietly. "Too late, though. There was a day in Cairo. The way he reacted to us… Something was _off_ , but I was too busy focusing on the fact he had shot me in the spine to ask questions." he admitted. "I hope to God you're right, Jesse. I don't want to lose you. I would like more evidence, though," he asked, looking back up at the man in front of him. Jesse was right, he was able to make his own decisions, 76 didn't need to sit here and criticize him for doing what he felt just. Would he react the same, had Jesse been in his spot, and vice versa? Maybe. Jack Morrison might have.

"I have a ton of it." Jesse admitted, surprised but glad that 76 seemed to be willing to listen to him on his theories. He wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. "After he reformed in my room, I walked in on him vomiting up black blood on the floor- I'm sure you saw some of the mess. He was completely out of it. Looked about ready to pass out. He started crying and begging for me to make it stop, saying he didn't want to remember anymore. That it hurt." He looked at his hands. "I don't think it was an act. It wasn't the type of crying anyone could fake easily. He looked like he was completely breaking down. I'm talking vomit, I'm talking borderline seizures, I'm talking he looked like he was dead for a few moments after I'd laid him on the bed, before I decided to go get Angela."

"Oh," 76 said. Because what else could he say to that? Was there anything else? The only time Jesse lied recently was to protect Gabe; he doesn't think he'd do it now, not after being handcuffed and being glared at by over half of their team and treated like a witch in a village full of Christians carrying a stake. He wouldn't go to make his situation worse. "Alright," he sighed, bringing a hand and rubbing it on his jaw and sighing. "I believe you. So. I trust you." Those words didn't come lightly from him; it was rare he trusted anybody these days.

Jesse nodded, sniffling a bit as they finally got through this- being trusted was a bit different than just being more trusted than someone else, after all. He pulled 76 into a tight hug, closing the gap between them. "I'm glad. Jesus, I put on a tough face, but I don't know what I'd do without you." He admits, pulling him closer. "Please understand me. I didn't want to hurt you. I kept it under wraps because I had to be sure before I actually pulled it up, but now…well, to say otherwise is kinda short sighted. But I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

76 hesitated for a second before hugging back, wrapping his arms around Jesse. "I forgive you," he murmured, resting his chin on Jesse's shoulder. "But please don't hide things like that from me again. I want to be able to trust you. So trust me. And please don't go sleep with Cain," he added on in a low mutter, frowning under his visor.

There was a moment of confusion, before the joke clicked. He burst out laughing at 76's possessive comment, because some things never change. "What, not gonna let me have the set?" He asked, even as he relaxed into the hug, knowing that 76 has truly forgiven him if he's getting possessive again.

"Not even in your dreams," 76 scoffed, and the two sat down again, 76 leaning into him and wanting to remind him that he was sorry for mistrusting him without having to keep saying it. "He doesn't seem like fun anyways." He touched his forehead to Jesse's, his visor in the way of any actual kisses- damn it. "Seems like he'd be too demanding."

"And you aren't?" Jesse teased him back, ruffling 76's white hair.

"I'm demanding in the kinky way," 76 muttered, accepting the ruffling begrudgingly. "Tomorrow we should get back with the others. Figure out where to go from here," he said. No doubt some members were still hesitant with Jesse, but that would maybe fix itself in due time. "… If you're going to try and go after Gabe, then…then you should have some back up."

Jesse moved himself onto 76's lap, and smooched the visor over where his lips were. With it on, Jesse couldn't see his blush, but his forehead still went red. Jesse snorted at him.

"Cute old man." He took his serape out from the bag, glad Angie had washed his it at least, and put it over them both.

"Not old," 76 grumbles, accepting the blanket offering. "Not that old at least. Still haven't guessed my age?"

"Reinhardt said you're younger than him." He proudly stated, before pointing a finger at him victoriously. "So you're 55!"

"Spot on," 76 nodded, before shaking his head with a chuckle. "Surprised you got it right the first go."

"Gabi told me he was 36 when he picked me up." Jesse revealed, smirking. "And that you were one year younger than him. I just had to take some time and remember that."

"So he told you his age but you didn't tell him yours? That's a little unfair," 76 said, obviously joking. "I remember when the entire Blackwatch squadron called you Jailbait for five years straight. They wouldn't respond to anyone if we asked where Jesse was. You had to ask where jailbait was."

Jesse shrugged. "I told him I was legal. In New Mexico, age of consent is 17. Not my fault he didn't catch the joke implicit there."

"I'm more surprised Angela didn't make more of a show over it," 76 rolled his eyes at that. Gabriel was always a bit dense. "Since she came in just a bit after you, I guess she just assumed we all knew."

"Either way, I'm almost 40. Holy shit. When did that happen?" Jesse mumbled, the relatively soothing background noise of the train and the fact that he'd been up for so long coming in to bite him on the ass. He yawned.

"Yeah, you're almost forty. But you had a crisis about turning twenty five," 76 snorted, tiredness sinking into his bones. He yawned as well. "N' like other old men, you're just as tired as I am."

Jesse nodded with another yawn- ain't no use in denying it. "I've been up for over 36 hours. Forgive me." He leaned into him, resting his head on Jack's muscled body.

As the two of them began to settle down into slumber, exhaustion claiming them, 76 had a final warning. "I'm watching that ninja, though. No funny business." He mumbled beneath his breath, getting another sleepy chuckle out of Jesse.

"It's okay, 76. I won't sleep with Hanzo. After all, I'm dating you now, aren't I?" Jesse's partially incoherent admission made 76's chest rumble in pleasure as he made a noise of agreement, and they fell into mutually comfortable slumber with their backs pressed against suitcases and luggage, the train's movement only serving to rock them gently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heads up for NSFW of the more smuttish variety next chapter (mccree76). For now, i needed to let the old men sleep and of course, rest my fingers. this is the longest chapter so far, at a whopping 6000+ words. 
> 
> There's still a lot to come. reaper will be back next chapter.
> 
> I appreciate your comments/kudos/critiques of the story! Thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed it so far!


	13. Chapter 13

Their nap came to an abrupt end when there was a large bump in the train, and Jesse McCree woke up by bonking his head onto the floor, his arms wrapped around 76 and bringing him down on top of him. He grunted quietly, his back in some serious pain, and as he slowly picked them up, trying not to wake 76 up if he could avoid it, a crick in his neck shot hot pain up into his head. Sleeping on the floor wasn't ever fun, but at least it seemed like 76 had some quality rest. Jesse softened as he stared at the visor on his face, feeling the way his chest moved slowly in peaceful slumber, and wondered if 76 had been having as much difficulty sleeping as him. McCree'd not asked before he'd conked out hours earlier.

There was another bump, and Jesse cursed a little as he struggled to hold onto Jack and stay upright. Hanzo looked over to them from where he was laying. "McCree, are you alright? This train is having some…difficulty, of the sort that the heads have not announced yet. Dr. Ziegler has been texting your phone with updates. I am surprised you had not woken earlier." He held up the device, and Jesse stammered as he felt for it in shock that the other man been able to swipe it off him.

"Ah, thank ya pardner." His accent was accentuated by his remaining sleepiness, but he caught the phone as it was tossed back over to him. He'd been about to close his eyes, but he didn't miss the way that Hanzo looked at him and 76 in befuddlement. Undoubtedly their relationship looked strange to outsiders, but Jesse remembered well Morrison's hot and cold nature around Jesse and sex and his seeming inability to admit his affections outside of possessive shows.

There was a sleepy growl, and Jesse felt 76 curl up closer to him, snaking his arms around his back. "Normally I'd be suave, and take off my visor to give you a hickey. But there's too many people around for that."

 _There_ was that possessive streak that Jesse knew and love- _Er_. Was extremely affectionate for…? Jesse wasn't going to dwell on that mental slip any longer than he needed to, so he simply went for a joke to break that line of thought.

"Ya know, I thought that Strike-Commander _Pettison_ stepped down _years_ ago." Jesse teased him with a whisper to the side of his visor, feeling the roll of Jack's eyes beneath the mask, their company all giving 76 a strange look at the nickname.

"It's been a blue moon since someone's called me that." 76 agreed with a disgruntled mutter. "But you know me, Jess- 'nd you're _mine_." His tiredness brought out the illusive remnants of his Indianan accent that he had worked so many years to rid himself of, and Jesse went a little flush.

"Shucks, darlin'." Jesse gave an affectionate ruffle to grey hair, before picking him up altogether. "My god. You're too light too." He chastised, carrying 76 off to a more secluded part of the train in bridal hold, the man grumbling at it but accepting his fate. (At least it was better than how Bastion carried him around.) "If yer uncomfortable here, we can find somewhere else to hang around 'till we reach Germany."

"Fitting." 76 muttered tiredly. "That you're carrying me in bridal. I, too, am on a mission to kill the fuckers who almost killed me n' offed my fiancé and chance at a normal life."

"Kill Talon isn't _nearly_ as catchy a title." Jesse pointed out with a snort, finding a spot a fair distance from the others and settling down by putting him down on his feet. "Here we are, sweet, sweet privacy in a crowded cargo hold of a train. Romantic, aint it?"

76 shook his head with a roll of his head even as he settled down. It was more isolated, and so with frantic haste he took off his visor and stared at Jesse, the darkness strange to him. Given that the light was poor, and he'd not had a chance to clean em out, he was a bit more blind than usual. "That'll do," Jack smirked, and immediately went to kiss Jesse possessively, before he went for the neck.

Jesse laughed hard at that, kissing him back and pulling him down to the floor, letting him mark him possessively if that's what 76 needed to do. "We are together though now, aren't we?" Jesse asked, a bit nervous about it. He'd asked earlier, but a tired hum of agreement wasn't quite the same as a "yes". Especially not from 76.

_Jack Morrison had been the slower of the two of them to come to understand Jesse's fervent intervention in their dissolving relationship. He had been mopey and sad and had gotten drunk, as in drunk, for the first and only time in his life after the first breakup- there had been a few. He'd gone to Angela and had woken up in a room with Jesse asking him if he wanted to give Gabriel another chance._

_Of course he did, but didn't Jesse want Gabriel for himself? Because there was no way after all that Jack had said and done to intimidate McCree away from his boyfriend would ever wind up with Jesse having a bunch of positive feelings for him._

_Didn't Jesse just want to 'collect' their names in his shitty 'achievement hunt'?_

_But Jesse had simply nodded, and accepted that. "We should all meet somewhere neutral. And talk some of this shit out. Gabriel wants another shot because you're one of the best things in his life."_

_And then the discussion came, and Jack had his heart opened- if only slightly- to the man known as Jesse McCree._

"...We're together," 76 nodded belatedly, wrapping his arms around him again as he pulled away from the spot on his neck. "We're together officially if that's what's you want. I want it. I meant to ask you all those years ago, before it all… well. Before it all went to shit."

"So did I. I was just happy back then you both let me in and I didn't want to push you too hard." Jesse agreed, kissing him again, cupping his face and feeling so, so _glad_ that he removed his visor. "Handsome," He complimented before he leaned against the suitcases and allowed 76 to go to work on giving him however many possessive hickeys the man wanted to leave to mark his territory.

76 kissed him back, moving down to Jesse's jaw this time. "Charmer, aren't you?" he asked, going to bite his neck again and pressing his thigh against Jesse's crotch.

"Always have been." Jesse agreed with a smirk, groaning a bit as 76 bit hard into his neck and rubbed at him, the pressure against his crotch arousing him. "Hey- don't start something if you won't finish it." McCree complained seriously, his grabby hands reaching for 76's pants.

"You weren't charming until you stopped being a nuisance," 76 joked a little, adjusting for Jesse to reach for his pants, and made a grumble of pleasure when Jesse played with the zipper. "And I plan to finish whatever it is we're starting here."

"Hoo, alrighty then." Jesse grinned brightly at that, fingering the button, before undoing it, and unzipping Jack's pants altogether, putting his hands under the lip of his pants. "C'mon, Soldier boy, I'm still a nuisance, least 'till i get what I want."

76 pressed his thigh a bit harder against Jesse's crotch, moaning as Jesse's hand rested above his growing erection. "You're not wrong," he said against his neck, going to bite a new area this time and as Jesse palmed him through his underwear.

"Hahh, you gonna punish me for it then?" He breathed out, pulling away slightly as he undid his belt, pulling down his pants and spreading his legs for 76 to take advantage of as the man grabbed his cock through his underwear. "HHHHnnngh, mm, I've been waiting for you to try somethin', I am surprised its happening now as much as I'm not surprised at all." His voice was raspy, but definitely amused. "You always had interesting timing."

"Mmm, are you asking to be punished?" He grinned, pulling back up to look at Jesse's face. "For threatening to sleep with someone else? Should I show you why that was a mistake, McCree?" 76 asked, voice thick with lust as he teasingly pulled down Jesse's underwear to stroke his dick slowly, thumb brushing over the head.

Jesse scoffed at that. "Oh? Is _that_ what brought this on?" He asked, his breath hitching a bit as 76 teased his cock. "The other Shimada is pretty handsome, after all, and I have a track record." He pointed out. "Maybe I need a reminder of why _experience_ always wins in the end?"

"Maybe you do," 76 growled a bit, giving another squeeze to Jesse's cock. "Would you be a darling and get some lube, then?"

"What kinda man do you take me for, 76?" Jesse asked with a smirk, fishing it out of his pant pocket. "I have _priorities_. When I was leavin' last night, I didn't forget the most important things." He placed it in 76's hand.

76 rolled his eyes, but he took the lube from his hands, opening it and coating his fingers. "Glad one of us is prepared," he nibbled a bit on Jesse's ear, as he slid Jesse's pants down just enough with his free hand to spread his legs a little more and slide one finger in him. "How's that?"

"Haahhhh!" He wheezed, wrapping his arms back around 76's shoulders. "Cold!" He complained, even as he moved down a bit to have his ass more available for 76 to grab, his brown hair fluffed against the wall of luggage they were hiding behind.

"Don't _whine_ ," 76 slapped his ass lightly, moving his finger enough to slide a second one in. "You've always been impatient with this part," 76 whispered hotly into Jesse's neck, before sucking at red skin lightly and curling his fingers just a bit inside him.

"That's because you always take your time!" Jesse grumbled after a pleasured yelp at the smack. "Gabe too. _Way_ too slow!" He groaned again at the suckling of his neck and the curling of the finger in his ass. "Always so gentle with me."

"It's worth it to make it last," 76 hummed, continuing to finger Jesse until he could slide a third finger in. "You always make such pretty noises, darling, all for me," he said, moving upwards to kiss Jesse properly now.

"Gnnhg, you'd think they were pretty, wouldn't you?" Jesse chuckled, before he met 76's impassioned kiss. "All for you." He echoed, knowing it filled 76 somewhat to know that his partner was into being possessed as 76 was into the idea of possession.

"I know they're pretty," 76 complimented, pulling his fingers out once he felt Jesse was prepared enough. He brought himself up a little in order to fully shimmy out of his pants, taking more lube and stroking himself with it a couple of times. "You ready then?" He asked, pushing Jesse back a little and gripping on to his shoulder.

"Yesssss," Jesse drew out the word, shaking his ass a bit enticingly. "C'mon, soldier boy. I'm ready for you. Fuck me." He grabbed onto 76's shirt, waiting for him to take that last step.

76 groaned at that a bit, sliding his way slowly into Jesse and grinning down at the younger man. "That's the plan," he said, breath caught in his throat at the way Jesse felt, starting to move at a steady pace.

Jesse wasn't one to just let those in his bed go slow with him, though. He wrapped his legs around 76's middle, before bucking up into him, groaning when his cock-erect as it was- hit 76's belly. "Mmm, good, I need it rough, soldier boy. Gabe was a bit too shy with me."

76 sped up a little, thrusting his way upwards a bit to hit that sweet spot in Jesse. "I'll be as rough as you'd like, darling," 76 grunted, leaning down a bit to bite at Jesse's collarbone. He was able to speed up a bit now, as per Jesse's needs. "I won't be shy. Not a blushing virgin, over here."

"G-good." Jesse stammered as 76 bit his collarbone, the spike of pleasure going directly to his cock. "Mmnn, I know that part. You never were shy. Always took what you want from me, and you were the only person I ever allowed to do that." He confessed, moaning loudly as he finally hit his prostate, digging his nails into his back to claim him as well.

"I figured I was," Jack groaned as Jesse's nails dug into him. "You let me get pretty rough with you. Let me do some pretty kinky things, also," he chuckled, keeping his pace steady as he fucked Jesse. He hadn't forgotten how nice it was fucking Jesse; it was just nicer having the real thing and not his right hand.

"Oh, I've let them all do kinky shit." Jesse chuckled, setting him straight there. "Rough sex is a personal favorite of mine- in bed. But no- I let _you_ take whatever you wanted from me, 76- _whenever_ you wanted. You were the only person who ever got to leave hickeys; the only people who could kiss me outside of my bedroom were you and Gabe. And the only one who ever was allowed to grab me in public…was you." He flattered him, hoping the revelation would help send 76 over the edge.

76 moaned at that, unable to control himself any longer and going harder with Jesse. " _Fuck_ , Jesse," he groaned, thrusting up into the younger man and keeping his back pinned to the wall. "I'm not gonna last much longer if you keep talking like that. You know what makes me tick, baby," he mumbled against his skin, before kissing his shoulder, the way Jesse felt against his face without the visor still a treat.

Jesse chuckled in between his raspy pants, drawing closer to his edge. "It freaked people out too, it was so different than my usual routine." He gasped, kissing 76's neck and leaving marks of his own. "You didn't say it back then, but I knew it was your way of marking your territory and claiming me as yours." He shuddered as 76 hit his sweet spot once more, his eyes rolling up into his head. "Hnnn, n' I didn't sleep with anyone else sense then. Sure, I stripped, but…after you and Gabe, there was no one else for me."

"Only ones who knew how to fuck you right," 76 panted as he readjusted, the frenzied need to come making him grab Jesse's ass and give a few final, desperate bucks. "Fuck, Jesse, I-" and 76 hit his peak, coming inside of Jesse with a low moan of pleasure. He was fairly sure his brain had stopped working at that point, but he still managed to get his hand on Jesse's cock, stroking it a few times. "Come on, darling," he commanded with a whine, biting Jesse's earlobe lightly.

It wasn't that long after that, feeling 76 come undone inside him and go to try and jerk him off pushed him over his edge, and he came on himself and 76 with a drawn out gasp, pulling 76 down into a possessive kiss that became gentler as he came down from his orgasm. " _Mmm_ , good. You always were good." Jesse murmured as he pulled away, brown eyes warm from the after-glow of sex. "Sexy bastard."

76 managed to pull away for a second to lick whatever got on his fingers off, and kissed Jesse again. "Thank you," he hummed, going to cuddle Jesse now. "Forgot to bring a rag to clean you up," he said, looking a little guilty. "Whoops."

Jesse waved a dramatic hand, going through someone's things on the train to grab a spare t-shirt and cleaned the two of them off with it before tossing it to the side. "No issue for me." He kissed 76's forehead, pulling him back in for a hug. "Now, I don't want to hear any more talk about how he means more to me, you got that?" He said warningly even as he hugged him tighter. "You mean a lot to me, you both do."

"It seems like a few of us do want him back," 76 admitted. "The old Gabe. Before Talon, I mean," he said quietly. "It's hard. Knowing he's been chasing us down and trying to kill us, the few encounters I've had with him up until now always going immediately south. But I'll keep that in mind." He murmured, closing his eyes to rest them a bit longer.

"I know." Jesse murmured, kissing 76's forehead softly. "Try and remembered that he's pro'ly been programmed against you the most. A Widowmaker tailored to kill you."

"'M not Gerard, at least," he agreed as he buried his face into Jesse's serape. "Lena's probably equally mad at you for not saying anything as she is because she doesn't want anything to happen to you."

"Lena can be pissy all she wants." Jesse harrumphed. "I didn't deserve half the shit she threw at me. Bringing up Blackwatch was just completely uncalled for. It's mostly been my life I put into danger by keeping that close with him, and I can't just leave him knowing that he's hurting and scared."

76 sighed. "Age old argument; is Gabe a cat or a dog? You made him sound like a stray," he rattled off. "You can't leave him alone and hurting because he didn't leave _you_ alone and hurting. I understand," he conceded, "even if I don't necessarily agree."

Jesse's eyes went a little wide at that, blinking. "I didn't deserve help either." He mumbles, upset that 76 hit that close to home. "You complained about me after getting to know me after a few months. You should have seen that mess that was me at 17. All hormones and leg and anger."

"I didn't mean to upset you," 76 clarified sheepishly, hearing the tone shift in Jesse's voice a little. "I did complain about you. And now I don't. Because I know you better, but he knew you from the start, just like he knew me," he sighed, feeling his heart ache a bit at the admission.

"Those are _not_ pleasant memories." He muttered into Jack's hair, even as he stroked the man's grey locks, shaking his head. "I know you didn't. And you didn't, not really." He hugged 76, needing the comfort. "They weren't ever pleasant memories. So lets…not bring those back up, right?"

"They weren't," 76 agreed quietly, hugging Jesse back. "I trust you. I trust you to do the right thing," he whispered, looking up a bit and kissing Jesse's cheek gently.

The train came to a halt, and there was an alarm that went off. The engine had run into some official trouble, it seemed. "Suppose we should get dressed." Jesse's lips quirked upwards. "If we're gonna have to head out."

76 gave him a final smile, before putting back on his visor.

XXXX

Since the train had stopped, and they were otherwise able to hang around the Russian city where they had stopped. Jesse felt a bit lighter, and 76 seemed to as well. He, 76, and a few other members had hung around near the train while Mercy and Reinhardt left with the kids to go get some food.

It was really just him, Fareeha, 76, and Zarya, the buff Russian woman having asked 76 to an arm wrestling contest in the down time. 76 had declined and was sulking in a corner, while Aleksandra seemed to just be enjoying a cup of black tea.

"Do you really think that Gabriel isn't the one behind it all?" Fareeha's voice interrupted his thoughts, and Jesse turned around in his chair to see her looking at him.

"Come sit." Jesse eventually invited her, gesturing to the table, while 76 remained standing, looking at the two of them quietly. "…I think he is, and I think he isn't." Jesse explained. "Reaper is… well, a terrorist hell bent on destroying Overwatch. But I think it's manipulation and brainwashing that made Reaper from Gabriel Reyes. Actually, I'm sure. Underneath all of that, Gabi is there, and from what I've seen, he's terrified and doesn't remember things right. And I'd like to bring him back to us, if possible."

Fareeha nodded, looking thoughtful, rubbing her face with her mechanized hands.

"What inspired your change of heart?" Jesse has to ask, since Fareeha had voted against him and later had supported him. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for her support at the end of the day; he just wanted to know _why_ she'd done it.

"I found the video of that time you were angry that he'd tried to install a swear ban. Operation Dinner and a Show, you'd called it. I hadn't seen it in a long while. I had forgotten the way he used to act. The way _you_ used to act."

There was a long pause, before Jesse chuckled. "Really? You thought I'd changed from the person I was to show up my CO like that? Well, maybe I have, a lil. But not so much that I wouldn't still try something like that. What do you think watching it now that you're older and not an 18 year old very easily impressed by my trick shots?"

Fareeha rolled her eyes, but there was a smile playing on her lips now. "I cannot believe that you were ever a lieutenant. I can believe that you were an idiot, though. He should have fired you for _serious_ insubordination."

"He _should_ have fired me." Jesse agreed with an overconfident smirk. "But he didn't- you saw that I was a hecka good shot."

"It's been so long. I can't believe I forgot it. But I should have realized that you've always taken care of your own, even if you were spending the time mocking them or otherwise pretended to be aloof." Fareeha shakes her head. "You were ridiculous, though."

Jesse reached over, and ruffled her hair, as Fareeha shoved his hand away with a grumble that she wasn't a kid anymore. "Damn, you were a girl when I first met you, and now you're a fine woman. Ana would be prouda you, yanno?"

Fareeha paused, looking at him weirdly, before she went to speak.

There was a blast, and whatever she had been about to say was drowned out as screams in panicked Russian came through, the room cut off by the fallen roof, and Jesse had to duck into cover as someone began shooting at them. Zarya was with him, and was growling in Russian at whoever it was, putting her drink aside and gathering up her weapons.

"Jesse, are you alright!" 76's voice came from the other side.

"Yeah! I'm alright!" He shouted his agreement. "You guys good?"

"I am." 76 informed, before Fareeha shouted hers as well. "It's omnics!" 76 shouted. "This'll be familiar ground at least."

"I figured we didn't have enough problems." Jesse agreed with a shrug, taking out his gun in preparation to fight. "We got eyes on our own?"

"Zenyatta and Bastion are with Angela; we're the only ones still by the factory. And I don't think we're actually the main targets of this attack." Fareeha informed him, and Jesse looked outside the blasted wall, noticing the factory looming in the distance that seemed to be the focus of ev

"Well, fuck." He said, staring at the giant, fucking _robots_ in front of him. And here he thought he'd just have to worry about Talon.

"Pharah and I have to find another way around." 76 shouted back to him, and Jesse looked to the wall. "Jesse, stay with Zarya."

Jesse McCree hadn't ever fought in the omnic crisis, but damn if he wasn't about to get some airtime. Aleksandra yanked him by the scruff of his neck, before giving him a shield and lifting her gun. "Go! They are attacking the factory! We must _stop_ them!"

"Understood." McCree gave a nod, before heading out with her.

XXXXX

"Careful, Reaper. Too many fuck ups and they won't keep fixing you." Widowmaker reminded him as they sat together on a perch outside of Volskaya industries. They hadn't expected their operation to be interrupted by an omnic attack, but such was life. They'd discovered that the Overwatch agents had managed to get out by spotting them in the city market only hours later.

"It hurts." Gabriel cowered at the mention of _them_ , mostly because he's alone and half heartedly trying to push past the feelings of - _safe warm its okay now shhh go to sleep again let Gabriel Reyes stay dead forget forget_ _ **forget**_ _you'll feel better safe warm_. "It's cold." He shivered, his leather coat doing absolutely nothing to stop it from chilling him to the bone.

"… If they wanted you to succeed, they shouldn't have left you in such a sorry state." She placed a fur coat over his shoulders. He gripped it tightly, trying to hold onto it along with the feelings of what it had been like to be with Jesse again. "Damn. You're in a bad spot. They let it progress too far and they didn't do much to help. If you want them to keep you going, you'll need to kill Jack- once and for all. Just don't get yourself killed by omnics in the meanwhile."

And Gabriel shuddered at that, because anger is rising up in him at the name, but it's not his _not his not his please hold on_ , Jesse's voice calling from the void. _We'll get our answers._ And maybe he wanted them to stop 'fixing' him. Maybe he wanted them to really, truly let him die because he doesn't want to wake up again later and find out that he's hurt the people he loved again like he did there.  His head throbbed.   _You did this you killed them you killed them you killed them go back to sleep it's better than being here._

He didn't want to have woken up at all. At first it had been nothing, but now that Gabriel Reyes had truly been raised from the dead out of the cover that was Reaper, god. Everything hurt. Nothing made sense. He'd gone to Talon again because there was that feeling that it was _calm there, this is natural, forgetting is better, kinder, this is your home now, come home to mama._ But they'd simply hurt him and put him back on his mission. They'd primed him again with aggression that didn't make sense and it fell apart in hours, left him a mess, since he didn't have any real reason to be angry anymore. He was just afraid.

Afraid of hurting Jesse, of being unable to remember him, of having to address all his chaotic thoughts, of losing control again, of losing everything all over again. Of waking up again after all of that happening and having nothing worth living for anymore, but his purpose was gone in Talon's eyes so they kill him.

He was equally made of desperate need to be with Jesse and submissive gloom telling him he didn't deserve that joy anymore.

Widowmaker took pity on him for now, and said the words he needed to hear, before he slipped away once more.  Even if it was just for the moment, it was welcome. His body went still, before he went through the motions to put her coat on fully, red eyes staring at where his prey would come to fight off the omnics, would fall into the trap left by him and Widowmaker.

"...Reaper here."  He acknowledged her in a dull voice, the throbbing headache still there, if it had been dulled slightly.  It was enough to function.  "How long?"

"It will only work for a few hours at most this time, cherie.  That much is evident by how quickly it's wore off from when I last gave you your trigger word."  Widowmaker informed loftily as she stood, preparing to move.  "Work quickly and we might be able to outrun your past yet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) They will be happy in time. how much time, i won't be saying any time soon. Hopefully the smut was good at the start?
> 
> Reaper is deteriorating, though. We'll see him again. shortly. very shortly. 
> 
> the fact there's still an omnic crisis in Russia is rarely brought up in fics.....
> 
> I highly recommend going and reading the other parts of the series, one of which is indeed, my full take on what happened in switzerland! Operation dinner and a show is a theme that'll come up again and again, and if you're curious, go read the first part of this series, "the freeway leads to the grave."
> 
> Kudos/bookmarks/comments/critiques are always welcome + appreciated!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been almost a month since i posted, figured I should do it before August ended. 
> 
> I turned 20 yesterday. What is this mess called not being a teenager anymore? 
> 
> Enjoy!!

There was never another day in Jesse McCree's life where he was so grateful he'd started fighting the good fight after the end of the Omnic Crisis.

"Jesus _Fuck_ ," he cursed as he narrowly avoided being stepped on by one of em, and Zarya pulled him out of the way of a falling omnic that she had downed, this one smaller. He felt sick upon realizing how similar it looked to Zenyatta at a glance, the omnic monk hopefully safe and out of this mess. He'd heard rumors of these old omniums that came back online being able to turn omnics hostile against their companions and humans in general.

"Come _on_ , cowboy, I thought you would be more mobile, considering that you are meant to attack." She urged him onwards, as there was the familiar greenish glow of Hana's mech from behind them, firing bullets over their heads at the giant omnic.

"Hiya big guy!" She shouted at it as it directed its attention towards her, landing her mech on top of the building Jesse and Zarya moved past to get to the factory faster "The omnic I fight at home would eat you for breakfast!"

Lucio's screams of fear could be heard plainly as well as the 26 year old begged for the girl to slow the fuck down and _not_ get them both killed by angering the giant angry omnic.

"D.va! Lúcio!" McCree shouted upwards, looking to where Hana was coming in with the smaller man holding tight to her meka and shouting in angry Portuguese as she dropped him down. "Are the others on their way?"

"Yessir!" She affirmed as she descended, putting up her shield to cover Lúcio as he fell. "Tracer is already en route with the others, we were just closer to you guys! They are on their way, though, they had to get Zenyatta and Bastion to a safer location. Let's group up- Lúcio will do better with you guys than me!"

"Jesse!" Jack's voice rang out from behind them as he descended, held up in the air by Fareeha, dressed in her Raptora suit once more.

"Alright, we have Pharah, McCree, 76, Lúcio, and myself." Zarya took quick stock. Song, you watch our backs, alright, we need to get in there quickly." The Russian woman put her large hand atop of the girl's hand in her controller. "Go, quickly, there's no one here better equipped to fight the larger ones."

Hana gave her a big thumbs up, looking starry eyed as she flew back out, ready to fight once again.

Balls of steel, that one, McCree was wholly convinced. Sweet pea didn't need any help from him; that was certain. At least not when battling giant human-killing robots.

A flash of a girl from what felt like a lifetime ago came to him at the thought of that. He felt sick, like he was going to throw up. Sylvia, the Colombian woman who had also been apart of Blackwatch, had deserved better than what she got in the end. Hana reminded him of her a lot, he realized, the way she acted, how her slight frame belied her true abilities. Her unstoppable pep, her friendliness with Jesse, he kinda wondered why he'd not thought of it before, but then again, he'd not thought about the OG Blackwatch crew in a while. No point in thinking about the dead and gone, after all. He supposed all the people who were dead and now weren't turning up again could make those old bones rattle some.

But, hopefully Hana would have a better fate, and somewhere Jesse McCree would make up for his past sins and shortcomings.

"Jesse, we need to move." 76's voice broke into his thoughts, and Jesse shook as he suddenly came to, looking to where their team of 6 was ready to attack.

"A'right folks." Jesse said as he took in a breath, and reloaded his gun with a fancy spin. "Let's get this show on the road. Overwatch is back in business, savin' the world from itself _again_."

Lúcio let out a dramatic shout, jumping in his battle skates, and Fareeha looked a bit emotional as she put on her helmet. "We got lives to save, punks, there'll be time for inspirational shit later." 76 told them off, but even he sounded a bit affected by Jesse's statement as he put his gun to his chest, and he and Zarya ran in together.

Pharah did her rocket jump and took to the skies, the sounds of her rocket launcher going off as she flew in ahead of them echoing in the metal factory, and he and Lúcio shrugged at each other, the adrenaline knowing that they were definitely about to be noticed by the whole world, they were about to put themselves on the line to fight for humanity, and Jesse McCree fet something about fighting click back within his being. He'd been fightin' every day since he was a pup, basically- he knew what he was doing.

There was an omnic that tried to flank him and Lúcio, and with a flashbang, a quick unloading of his gun into its middle, another roll followed by a shot to its head, the thing fell to the ground, broken, the light in its eyes dying.

"Back in the saddle again." He smiled coolly as he tipped his hat at Lúcio, the 26 year old looking awed at his fighting before turning up the volume on his audial weapon, shouting ' _amp it up!'_ So that he and Jesse could get into the mess of battle faster.

Zarya was glowing a bright purple from the energy her barriers were collecting from the fire fight between herself, 76, Pharah and the omnics, her particle canon shooting out a bright beam of hot, destructive energy into the omnics before her, cutting them down in rows while 76 stood a bit further back, shooting at those gunning for her from further away, whilst Pharah was trying to do her duty and locate where they were coming from.

Beyoncé with a gun wasn't doing too bad himself, crossfading his music to switch the beat and let himself heal the others passively, his sonic amplifier also surprisingly powerful. It seemed to disorient some of the omnics, and let McCree or 76 take them down for real. Of course, a few times they got a little close and he would shout, _"Get back!_ " Before a burst of sound would toss them away from him.

Jesse spotted a glint from above, but 76 beat him to the punch line as he pulled Lúcio out from where he'd been relatively stationary. "Sniper! Get your head down or lose it!" His voice came in over the intercom, and Fareeha acknowledged this, falling from the air rapidly so that she wouldn't become a priority target.

"76, from what I could see, it is the Widowmaker." Her worry wasn't missed. After all, Widowmaker was Talon, and they all knew that Talon had been the ones to try and blow them all up.

"See anyone else?" Jesse asked, and it was Zarya's shout of pain that alerted them to his presence.

"Aleks!" Lúcio rushed out of cover to get into line of sight and heal her. "Whoa, push off! Heads up, Reaper's here too. I know that leather jacket anywhere!"

Jesse snorted loudly at the mention of his leather jacket over the comm line, and there was a noise that sounded suspiciously like a stifled laugh from 76. "God, really? That leather jacket; in _this_ weather? We told him far too often to dress warmly back when he was Reyes and not already half-dead."

"Jesse, behind you!" Fareeha's sharp voice jerked him out of those thoughts as he swirled around with deadly efficiency and gave a fatal blow to an omnic that looked like it had already been shot up a fair amount- a few shots looked like they were from Reaper's own gun.

There was the sound of Widowmaker's rapid-fire option on her rifle being used, and it became clear that though Widowmaker and Reaper were likely there for them, they were similarly caught in the crossfire of the omnics.

Well, _something_ went in their favor, at least.

"Do you think that they're pissed at her over Mondatta?" Lúcio asked absently over the comm while Fareeha and Jesse ran to the sound of gunfire, hoping at least to take care of one threat from Talon.

"Not _now_ , tiny man." Aleksandra said as she reloaded her weapon behind her and Lucio's cover, Jesse able to see them from where they had come to the second floor and gone to the hiding spot Widowmaker had been sniping from.

"She's right, short attention span theater." 76's rough criticism came in, as Zarya covered him and allowed 76 to pass them both, firing his helix rockets into where Reaper had been pursuing them.

The man became incorporeal, red eyes glowing behind the mask, before he reformed and lifted his guns at 76, making a slow walk toward him.

Thankfully, Jack knew better than to stay in that hallway, turning around to run from Reaper's powerful guns, and Zarya covered him with her shield to charge her weapon higher as the three of them ran out into the middle of the fray.

Widowmaker landed on the floor next to Reaper as he emerged from the hallway, her heels clicking on the metal as she looked from Jesse and Pharah on their left, to the omnics surrounding, and the remaining Overwatch members- 76, Lúcio, and Zarya on her right. She made a face, but it was clear she was doing the math.

She had been planning to have Reaper end 76 and potentially kill the other meddlesome American herself, if only to make things easier on her coworker, but the unfortunate fact of the matter is that they were outnumbered by Overwatch members, and even more than that, the humans in general were outnumbered by omnics, and she didn't like her chances in this place she couldn't make a quick escape in being hunted by Overwatch and raging omnics.

The Overwatch members were all having that moment to debate as well, no fire being exchanged between the terrorists and the vigilantes, sizing up their odds, and their desires.

And so when the bullets came at them from all sides, everyone ignored the other humans in favor of the bigger threat.

Jesse started shooting, Pharah using her rockets to cause far more damage than Jesse could ever hope to achieve. "Hey bucko- wanna bet I can do better than you?" He asked with a wink, and Fareeha snorted.

"Certainly. What is the prize when you _lose_?" She teased as McCree cleared out his last round with a flare, the younger woman snickering at the insinuation that a rocket launcher could lose to a _gun_.

"Oh- jus' good ol' _bragging_ rights. And we'll see about _that_ , kiddo." Jesse smirked before rolling forward and reloading, shooting one of them that looked mildly like bastion, but was obviously a newer model or something, right in the red light glowing angrily at them.

"Are you tryin' to impress me?" 76 shouted from behind him, and Jesse pouted a bit at his obvious _unimpressed_ intonation even as he raised his gun and shot the omnic coming up on his back left side dead. Er. Offline? Something like that- did omnics count as being alive? You had to live to die.

"Well, so what if I _was_." He muttered, Lúcio shouting in excitement as he knocked a few bots off the side of the cliff face, the noise audible even without the com's echoing the shout in their ears, making Jesse wince.

Reaper showed up, appearing next to McCree and making him yelp and jump. "Gabriel! Don't sneak up like that." He shouted out of surprise, and Reaper spared him a glance before cricking his neck.

"… _McCree_ ," Reaper began, red eyes glowing from behind his mask. "Just stay out of my way." He pushed Jesse backwards, before seeing something behind him, tensing and suddenly pulling him behind him and out of the way, before putting up his shotgun and firing, Jesse hearing the clank of a fallen omnic from where he hadn't been looking. "Watch your _back_ , idiot." He growled after a moment, before Jesse grinned, seeing that Gabe was still in there. He opened his mouth to speak, before his challenger's mocking announcement of her current number of kills came in over the com.

"Jesse, I would just like to say that you're _losing_." Fareeha informed him tauntingly, and he grumbled in annoyance.

"Dammit, _fuck_." McCree grumbled, his mile-wide competitive streak coming out to play and he waved a hand at both 76 and Reaper. " _Don't_ kill each other." He said sternly. "I will be extremely cross, and I'm certain ain't _neither_ of you want this up your ass." He waved peacekeeper at them threateningly. "At least wait until this is over before starting shit between ya'll. Now I'll be back. But I'm watching y'all."

And then Jesse was called over by Lúcio, the younger man shouting for assistance, and he gave them a final meaningful gesture, pointing two fingers from his eyes, to them, and back, before running over to the Brazilian.

One of Jesse's worst kept secrets was the way he changed in battle. Once upon a time, both Jack and Gabriel had accused Jesse of not taking their battles seriously. Their evidence was his jokes, his inability to say the gravity of the situation for what it was. They were right as much as they were wrong. It had been Gabe's younger brother, Miguel, to try and explain it as an extension of trauma that worked in his favor. 6 shots, no super strength, just a kid with a gun and some gumption and the ability to shoot between the eyes of those unfortunate enough to meet the business end of peacekeeper unrivaled by almost everyone else in Overwatch.

The "puppy" became the "wolf", and it was clear to see why Deadlock had use of a kid like Jesse. But his ability to speak casually and make off-color jokes stayed put, even when he was soaked in blood and his eyes were metaphorically red with bloodlust. It had been a while since he'd felt this in battle, in part because it'd been a while since he'd been in battle. The attack from Talon on the ship had been fueled by exhaustion and desperation, as well as the willingness to protect. It had started to show up in small sections, his ability to question why they were bothering wondering about his handcuffs, but his blasé attitude was out in full now.

One of Gabriel's worst kept secrets was the way he had always worried for Jesse. Let there be no mistake, the kid was damn good with a gun. He remained the only unenhanced human to ever get a gun to his temple, and he'd done that at 17. But as he watched Jesse McCree leave, his hand itched and his head ached and the words were stuck in his throat, words of warning, to Jesse, to watch his back. And for one reason or another, he just wasn't able to say them.

And then Jack fucking Morrison came into his line of sight again, the abnormal and yet, completely accepted object of his twisted desires and forgotten dreams. The one he was supposed to kill, end Jack, and end Overwatch, let their sad story rest in the forgotten texts of history, buried just as Gabriel had been underneath its burning headquarters filled with rotting corpses of both the literal and metaphorical sense. He raised his shotgun, just as Jack raised his.

"You know, he'll be real pissy at you if you try something, Gabe." Jack's familiar baritone made something shiver inside of him, but it was easy enough to suppress, for now. "Not me of course, see, I've come to expect it from you. But perhaps we should think about holding off our _personal_ vendettas for now."

And even though his growing irritation at Jack raised his hackles and made the grip on his trigger tighten slightly from where he had gone slack for one reason or another, Reaper decided to give his words some thought, and paused to examine his surroundings as Jack gestured around.

His chaotic train of thought came to a crashing conclusion as he realized at omnics were rounding on him and Jack, Jack having stayed still, considering Gabriel in front of him before he snickered behind his mask. "Didn'tya just say to Jesse to watch his six, when it looks like you got a nasty case of tunnel vision yourself, eh, Reaper?" He jeered, gaze feeling hard even though Gabriel couldn't see his eyes behind the judgmental red visor that drove him up the fucking wall, feeling not unlike the worn-out trope of a bull seeing the red of a matador's cape.

( _On some level, he found this comparison especially ironic, because also like the bull, he never signed up for this and he was destined to kill or die, or both, and Jack was the unwilling matador for the audience that was Talon, Overwatch, the UN, the world. But this level was the one that was making his stomach roll with unease, and so he suppressed the thought that this was all some sick show for someone with a twisted sense of amusement.)_

They were both surrounded, and masked red met red visor, facial expression hidden as they raised their guns, and both shot the thing behind the other, before they went back to back in a familiar pattern, the feeling of Jack's strong back against his own stirring up long forgotten feelings.

"Now, let's be clear here. Don't think this means _anything_." 76 growled at him as he dropped one of his biotic fields, Reaper taking the time to heal and glare behind him at the accusation.

"You are just the only other person who remembers the crisis here." Reaper finished his words, pulling out a new set of guns from the smoke that made up his being, and lifting them up, the familiar feeling of someone as strong as he was on his back and _having_ his back lifting something out of the fog of his mind.

_Jack and him, 30 years ago, standing side by side as Gabriel received his official title as commander of Overwatch. Jack had been blonde hair and blue eyes and bright hope. Reinhardt, Ana, Torbjorn, Liao, all were ready and at his disposal. Jack had been at his side. Supporting him._

" _Don't you look professional?" Jack had turned around once the others were gone, gently brushing off his shoulder pads as a poor excuse to rub Gabriel's muscles in his work uniform. "Commander of Overwatch. It sounds like hell of a job, Gabe." Jack was amusingly possessive, but they were young, and Jack still gave giddy smiles when Gabriel called him his boyfriend._

" _With you watching my back, I'm certain nothing can go wrong." Gabriel had kissed Jack, his partner and lover being the other super-soldier who had accepted the position in the UN initiative to combat the Omnic Crisis._

_When had they stopped having each others back? When had Gabriel stopped having Jack's support, stopped watching out for him?_

Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes had once moved as a unit in battle- smooth and fast and between training as super soldiers and fighting the crisis hand in hand, they had learned each other's skills and motions like the back of their own hand.

How quickly they fell back to those habits was a testament to themselves, and how long they were that close- a testament to the ever present, looming _legacy_ that was the two commanders of Overwatch. The shadow that cast over each other now completely consumed the previous animosity as they worked with brutal efficiency.

For all those who had not seen them fight together in person, watching as Jack would cover Gabriel while Gabriel ghosted forward, releasing his form just after Jack launched his helix rockets through him, hitting those nearest and shocking them while Gabriel unleashed damning bullets from his hellfire shotguns. The way that Jack would grab Reaper's clawed hand and yank him backwards, Gabriel rolling into the motion and covering Jack's blind spot while 76 used his tactical visor.

The fact they did this far faster than the average human ever had a prayer to even get close to. They seemed damn near telepathic with how all Gabriel needed to do was grab 76's left hand before he was launched forward, calling up black smoke as he used his strangely named "death blossom" with a casual phrase of _clearing the area_.

It was a firm reminder that whatever it was the US government did to Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes, they hadn't been like the average human for years, and years. This was the fighting ability that had made them heroes, and once it had become widely accessible to the public, made them _monsters_.

76 remembered rather clearly the headline of the newspaper the day Jack Morrison had died. "MEN OR MONSTERS? WHAT ARE THE SUPER SOLDIERS OF OVERWATCH?" The public hadn't been certain if they were heroes or villains waiting for their time in the spotlight. Jack had come to the conclusion he wasn't a man or a monster- he was just a soldier. Perhaps that was why he was so quick to fall back to old habits and under the command of the young Russian fighter.

"76! Reaper!" She called, throwing her gravity surge and clustering a bunch of bots together, the two of them then able to destroy them in a clean sweep and leave them some time to catch their breath. Aleksandra Zaryanova's sheer presence generally commanded respect on the battlefield, hot pink hair and all, and she reloaded her gun as she stared the two of them down.

"If you two are done with your dramatics, I would appreciate you helping me seal off the area of interest!" She shouted, her general aura demanding their begrudging respect and brought to the forefront of their instincts as soldiers under someone else's command.

The two soldiers fell in line behind her surprisingly quickly- Where Pharah's obedience and adherence to military procedure had been expected, the ease with which the vigilante and terrorist became good subordinates was alarming as it was a relief. Jesse and Lúcio- while great fighters- were not _conventional_ fighters by any definition, and so are sort of left out of those orders, hadn't ever learned how to fight in an army. Jesse was a black ops fighter, and Lúcio only trained in guerrilla warfare while fighting for his country's right for freedom.

Zarya delegated responsibilities quickly- Reaper and 76 were to close off the factory doors, and Pharah was acting air support. Thankfully enough, it seemed that Widowmaker, even though she was back up on some rooftop, was acting as cover for all of them.

Mei's alarmed voice interrupted everyone's thoughts on the situation of Reaper and Widowmaker being temporary allies. "Attention, everyone- there's a nasty blizzard that's coming in, I don't want anyone being stuck outside during it."

Zarya looked at her team, all of them, from where Widowmaker was moving positions, to where 76 and Reaper offered each other cover and fought like one seamless four armed being, and where McCree, Lúcio and Pharah were trying their damnedest to offer cover for the others as they blocked off the one safe hiding spot they had.

They were now trapped outside, in what was going to become a nasty storm. Widowmaker and Reaper weren't dressed for the weather, none of them really were. And they couldn't just leave- they were caught in battle. Even as she was going through the logistics in her head, as the wind began to pick up a bit, she was still lobbing grenades and using her barriers to build up power for her weapon.

She had no time to question her decision to protect the factory; she would have to work around it now. "We'll have to get to cover soon, there's a storm moving in that we cannot afford to get caught in!" She said to 76, and Reaper, and the two paused to glare at each other with how in synch their responses of, " _Understood"_ had been.

There was a loud grunting noise as Jesse was shot in the shoulder, and dropped Peacekeeper, Lúcio closer to Pharah than to Jesse, and they both shouted for him. "Jesse!" Gabriel called for him, looking up to where Jesse had rolled out of cover, away from his gun, and was immediately in a bad spot because all one of those damned bots would need to do was turn to their side and make Jesse into a cloud of gore.

76 reached behind him, hand out as he forewent shooting in an effort to get Jesse protection faster. "Gabe!" He shouted, and Gabriel automatically gave him his arm and allowed Jack to toss him into the fight, to Jesse's immediate aid, drawing the attention of the omnics as Jack ran forward and kicked peacekeeper back over to its rightful owner.

The younger man had always been the more physically strong of the two, the faster, and the one that people could watch and see the typical superhero in. Gabe was faster and stronger than the average human, but he had far superior healing abilities. Always had, even before whatever it was that Ziegler had done to him.

This had been something that the two of them had done back in the days of the old Crisis. Jack literally throwing him in meant that they both were able to work at their ideal range- Gabriel's shotguns do far more damage up close, where Jack had always preferred a bit more distance, and now even, despite his sight issues he still worked best mid range.

As they provide Jesse backup, it strongly reminded Gabriel and 76, separately, of the days that they had spent fighting alongside Jesse and each other. Back in the days of the Omnic Crisis, back in the days of Overwatch- back in the days they had had each other's back, each other's trust and support.

Things were still going strong, as the efforts to break into the factory were firmly shut down by how they had closed off the entrances and blocked the other ways in, and the Omnics were rounding on them once more. As 76 reloaded after he started running forward to place down a biotic field for Jesse, Reaper's raspy voice, laced with panic yelled for him. " _Jack!_ " It was mid-battle, but it was out of panic, not of anger. It had been a warning- and as 76 turned and looked behind him, he saw what he had to fear. Various humanoid omnics, their eyes glowing red from the God program that had commandeered them, their gaze turned on him. But the use of his name- and by Gabriel, even- didn't end with a vengeful hallucination.

" _Oh, so you want to see me_ _ **now**_ _, cornbread?"_ There was a chuckle, and 76 was sent reeling at what he saw his mind had made for him. It was none other than Gabriel, not Gabriel as he had been in Switzerland, cold fury marring his features, the scars made out of all of their mistakes making a chasm that had been unsurpassable. _"You always were too hard on yourself. Makes sense you'd only think of the bad parts."_

It was Gabriel from the days of the Omnic Crisis- the days that they had each others back, each other's trust. Each other's _love_. The thought made him wince, and Gabriel looked alive and well and relatively happy- like his old self. There was no way he was actually there, not here in the midst of battle, where 76 was old and tired and not really even Jack anymore.

There was a loud crash, and the moment was temporarily lost as Jack remembered that he had things to do still, people to protect, answers to find, and a resurgence of the Omnic Crisis to quell.

" _C'mon jackass, get your head in the game. You're not out of the woods yet."_ Gabriel informed him, sitting on a crate in the middle of battle, but he wasn't taking damage or calling attention of anyone else- he was a hallucination, then. His hallucinations were always so vivid as compared to what was going on around him, given that his sight was so heavily compromised. _"Neither am I. But you know that."_

He looked like he did back in the days when Jack first fell heads over heels in love with a man named Gabriel Reyes. Dark skin, an easy smile, brown eyes that were warm and a face unscarred by battle. All of this had already reminded him of the way they worked together, the way they balanced each other out, whether it be on the battle field or alone in hushed whispers, how people had always commented they were a good match for each other because of the balance there, between them.

And as he stared at this young hallucination of Gabriel, as he fought beside Reaper, Jack was hit by that feeling again, sort of, in a nostalgia that was for some reason impossible to shake off this time.

" _Listen to me sunshine, I know you can do this. You've already done it once."_ Gabriel encouraged him, brown eyes warm and kind and so, so loving. Just like they were on the day that they had decided to join Overwatch together, side by side- because if they were together, they were unstoppable. _"Shouldn't be that hard the second time around, right?"_

" _Jackass_ , snap out of it!" Gabriel's raspy new voice interrupted his thoughts, and he realized that Reaper had just jumped in front of him, taking damage. "Jesus, weren't you just getting on my case about not paying attention? Or are you happy watching my ass get turned to mulch?"

Well, it wasn't _sunshine_ , rather, it was jackass, but it's not a hostile jackass. It was a nickname of his, from the days of the omnic crisis. More than that, it almost sounded like it was teasing. The way he'd said it twice now, the way he'd snappily told him off.

76 hadn't really ever believed Jesse's words, even though he did believe Jesse thought they were true.

But here, as he stood back to attention, reloading his pulse rifle once again, he was stuck reconsidering his opinion, the one that had kept him going ever since he'd discovered the man who'd nearly killed him still loved. The opinion, of course, being that Gabriel wasn't ever going to come back, that he had chosen this path out of his own free will.

And he was reconsidering it, because the Reaper, for the first time, was acting in a small, normally insignificant way, like how Gabriel used to. He didn't seem to notice, but his red eyes weren't as harsh, especially after they had worked together and saved Jesse, and each other once again.

He was reconsidering it, because for the first time in a long time, Jack Morrison was able to see the man he's loved in Reaper, and he was strongly reminded of that moment of confused hesitation in Switzerland, and how he'd begged for Jesse in China.

Because for the first time, he saw Gabriel Reyes in Reaper, and it didn't look like an act, it looked like something Reaper was trying and failing to suppress.

For the first time, 76 allowed himself an inkling of hope that perhaps Gabriel wasn't as much to blame as he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the first part of the mini arc of this bigger arc- there's a lot to come still in Volskaya, but right now the outline for this + the rest of it is 9000 words. So i split it up.
> 
> As a reminder, there are a first and second part to this story, with this as the third piece which takes place during the modern day. The freeway leads to the grave has 2/3 chapters posted now, and its still absolutely a++. Where memento mori is more of an interim piece focusing on Jack and Gabriel's fight.


	15. Chapter 15

Working with the Reaper and Widowmaker made things extremely fast. Gabriel did massive amounts of damage with his shotguns, and not having to worry about being sniped tended to make things go faster.

Lúcio was doing pretty good at getting people healed, more so than Overwatch had originally thought him capable of- and his shielding music was absolutely great, even though Jesse had no fucking clue how it worked.

That didn't mean he caught everything though.

Jack had been taking a fair amount of damage given how frequently he was using his rockets and how mobile he was in the firefight. He grunted as he hid behind a wall, panting a bit as he waited for Lúcio to make his rounds again.

Reaper's harsh, guttural voice interrupted his 76's line of thinking, and he realized that he hadn't noticed how close the man had gotten. His eyes were red, boring into him.

"What are you doing, _Jackass_? Are you that eager to die?" He berated, gesturing him up and down. "Drop your heal, you need it and skater boy can't do it fast enough."

76 laughed at that, even as he planted down his biotic field, Reaper and Aleks coming over to use it. When did nicknames like this arise again? Jackass was a nickname earned from the days before the Omnic Crisis, Jackass covering when Gabriel had accidentally called him _Jacques_. And embarrassment had stopped him from admitting what he'd really said, so the whole squad had started calling Jack Jackass.

Reaper had used his old nicknames before, but never in an affectionate way. So when did this small sign of affection start again, or, if he believed Jesse's theory- when did Reaper start slipping? And it wasn't just him noticing this, either.

"Skater boy, get down!" Reaper growled at Lúcio as he was running towards the smaller man, shotguns up as he shot behind him. "What is a rollerblader doing in battle, anyway?" He grunted, giving him the up and down look, as Lúcio grinned at him.

Jesse had really taken notice of it first, the cursing in Spanish as he takes a bullet for Lúcio. That Reaper wasn't being _Reaper_ anymore, so much as Reyes. The questions, the attitude, it wasn't that of a homicidal terrorist, it was of his ex-boss, ex-lover.

And now Jack had picked it up second, hearing Jackass and telling skater boy to stay out of his way, the way that Reaper's red eyes were fading. The way he was going from one persona to two drastically different ones. The harsh, uncaring Reaper and the softer, protective Reyes. The longer it went on, the more it allowed all of them to see this.

"Awwh, sweetheart, you're looking out for 76." McCree crooned, still not really paying attention as he realized he'd finally out taken Pharah in kill counts, the beast known as his competitive side purring and calling for more carnage.

And he was, he was guarding Jack while Lúcio healed him. He seemed to finally notice this, and his eyes flared that bright blood red. He let out a grunt of discontent as he separated himself from 76's side, making Lúcio stare at him in surprise. "Do not get the wrong idea, _ingrate_. It is so that I finish him _myself_."

Suddenly, Reaper was back, callously leaving Jack to heal with Lúcio, before going off to fight on his own.

Zarya shouted at them all- she was working on getting a room open, and she had finally managed to do so. She would be staying by the room, and Mei had called over the com to say that the storm warning was going up, and it was getting close to their current location- they had 30 minutes max before it hit.

"We still need backup!" Pharah said over the com, since while she, Jesse and Reaper did a fair amount of damage, Omnics kept flooding in, threatening to overtake them.

Not even 5 minutes after he had fallen back into the Reaper persona, Gabriel shouted for Fareeha to watch her back. "Fairy! Behind you!" And Fareeha, 76, and Jesse had all paused- since Fairy was his nickname for her as a girl. She had turned and knocked back the omnics that had snuck up on her.

Reaper was breaking apart at the edges, apparently slowly, but surely. But he was definitely losing that aggressive edge.

But then, suddenly, it was not so slow.

Things had been fine, he had been fighting and working efficiently and easily amongst Overwatch's ranks and Widowmaker, before he gasped, vision swimming, and he stumbled and fell. There was a retching noise as he remained on the cold, snow covered ground, as he vomited up black sludge that reeked of death.

Gabriel sat up slowly, his body swaying a bit as the sludge oozed down his front, through his mask. Carefully, he pulled the mask to the side, hunched over himself as he groaned, black sludge dripping down his face, getting it on his hands, and he pulled off the mask altogether.

He looked _sick_. Very suddenly, 76 understood clearly what Jesse had meant when he'd said that Gabriel couldn't fake how sick he looked. He looked like he was falling apart. The black mist leaking from his sides wasn't as…much a gas as it was a liquid, more susceptible to the cold. Seeping from his black coat, dribbling down his front, landing in puddles on the cold ground.

76 jumped in front of him, protecting him from potential fire, throwing down a biotic field in a vain attempt to help him somewhat.

"Gabriel?" He didn't know what made his voice so weak, he didn't want to acknowledge the fear that had coiled around his gut and squeezed. Hell, it looked like Gabriel Reyes was dying all over again. It was strange to see his face now, when moments before he'd seen Gabriel as he had been 30 years ago. He looked dead, Jack couldn't see very many details, but even from afar he could see the dead skin that swirled in patches of blackness.

His glowing red eyes flared at him, his teeth sharp and pointed, his skin falling away as part of the black gunk leaking from his mouth. " _Fuck off, Morrison."_ He growled; red eyes like blood practically glowing as he curled into himself like a wounded animal.

But the animosity wasn't all there. His hallucination of Gabriel, the one during the omnic crisis looked down at Reaper quietly. " _So this is what became of me?"_ He looked to Jack, staring. " _Do you still care about me enough to help?"_

And Reaper remained huddled like that for a moment longer. Before he pulled his legs underneath him, and stood up again on shaking legs, looking like some sort of twisted version of Bambi, flicking the mask to remove the gunk, before shakily putting it into his pocket, lifting his guns again. He wavered a second longer, before taking a step forward, shooting again.

Jack's vision had gone from looking at the hallucination to Reaper for only a second, but when he looked back to where Gabe had been standing, the younger man was suddenly fading into black sludge, and panic rose in his heart.

" _Do you still care enough to help me? Help me! HELP ME JACK!_ _ **JACK**_ _! HELP ME!"_ As he melted not unlike the Wicked Witch of the fucking West, his brown eyes fading to black as his hand grew silver talons and 76 dropped his weapon, going to the fading hallucination of Gabriel, as the white skull mask began to form out of the black sludge and its monstrous teeth smiled at him in a macabre grin and Jack stopped running to it when something held him back.

"76, 76," It was Jesse, looking at him with worry as he twisted Jack around, putting both hands around his arms and holding him in place. "76? Are you okay?"

No, he wasn't. He was panting, _panicking_. That had been one hell of a hallucination.

"76 is compromised. We need back up." Jesse announced as quietly as he could over the intercom, not wanting Reaper or Widowmaker to take notice of Jack's shaking hands, as he picked up his pulse rifle for him and put it back in his hands. "Hold it together a little longer, 76." Jesse whispered, taking a moment longer to kiss his forehead.

"I'm, I'm _fine_." Jack grit out, _no, not Jack, Jack's dead. Died a long time ago, to Gabriel Reyes_. 76 grabbed his rifle, pulling it back up to his chest, and he spared a look back to where he had been running.

The hallucination of the melting Gabriel that was morphing into Reaper while still luring him closer, begging for help while preparing for the kill, was gone. Jesse grabbed him by his chin, and made him look back towards him. "76, shoot the omnics. They're the real things. Anything else, everything else? Ignore it until later."

He squeezed 76 in a tight hug, his smell familiar and grounding. Jesse was real; he'd never seen him in a hallucination before. He just had to shoot the bots. That was what he was good at.

"I know you're fine." He reassured. "We're not alone. We have a team. 76, you don't have to do this alone. You can fall back on us."

76 nodded, and he and Jesse went back into the fight, Jesse making the effort to stay closer to them because he had to watch them. Reaper was vomiting up black sludge and 76 had dissociated from reality. These were his grumpy lovers, and he was going to look out for them- even Pharah decided to pause the competition with her growing worry for Gabriel.

From that point on in the fight, everyone could see the red in Reaper's eyes flaring every time he became aggressive, and then saw it recede with nicknames and worry. The red was flaring up less and less, even. _Reaper_ was losing, and he was slowing down in his fight.

Jesse caught him the second time he went to vomit, Reaper's claws digging into his serape for balance as he coughed for breath. "Man, you're really not doing so well, hun." McCree said as he set him down on the floor, laying a kiss on his feverish forehead. "Please, hold on longer, I have to keep working, but please just hold on for me. After the fight, I'll come get you. Stay _put_ , and hold on, Gabi."

Gabriel had nodded- Jesse was still fighting. He had people to protect; he had a battle to win. There was a flash to when _Jack had protectively left him out of the fight and won the battle for them, and had come back for Gabe, smiling at him and saying that he loved him so much- Jack had loved him once. Gabe had loved Jack once. Had Jesse ever told him that he loved him? He didn't know. But he wanted to hear those words, from Jesse, from his Angelino._

Widowmaker shouted at Gabriel, startling him and grabbing him around the waist and pulling him out of the battlefield, into a small room, and setting him up against the wall. The blue woman looked him up and down, before she knelt to the ground, giving a long-suffering sigh.

She took out a small handkerchief, and carefully wiped off his face and his front. "Gabriel, Reaper. You just have to kill Jack Morrison. Talon doesn't care how it happens now, but it has to happen- or they will kill you. I have to leave you quickly, because I cannot stay here with you- that would be too suspicious." She put the handkerchief in the trash, soaked with the slurry of blood and dead skin he had been vomiting.

"Do you wish you have your revenge, Reyes?" Widowmaker said, and watched as Gabriel's sorrowful eyes glazed over, black seeping back into his sclera, brown fading back into red as she had primed him and used his most reliable trigger phrase. Gabriel was forced back under and Reaper was brought back out- but for how long, she couldn't say.

Even if the aggression that coursed through him now was more of a sham at this point, it meant that he could stand once more and descended into battle. She just hoped it bought them enough time to kill Jack Morrison, so that Talon would be kind and really, truly help Reaper this time. He was her comrade, the only thing she might have to call a friend, and perhaps that was a sign of her fading conditioning as well, but she didn't have time to think hard about that.

Business. She and him had a mission- and if Reaper couldn't do it, she would do it herself. She cast down a Widowmaker behind Reaper, who called 76 over to him while he was still in wraith form.

An arrow landed in front of where 76 was running toward Reaper exiting his wraith form and chattering his teeth as quietly as he could manage. But it destroyed Widowmaker's venom mine and stopped Jack firmly in his tracks. Their team had arrived- the arrow was from their newest pickup- Hanzo Shimada, disgraced heir of the Shimada clan, prime target for Talon's recruiters that had somehow slipped their grasp.

"I was sent ahead to help!" He shouted down at them, before jumping to the floor and spotting Widowmaker. Hanzo wasn't aware of the temporary ally ship, and that was perhaps the best thing as Widowmaker lined up the shot on Jack Morrison's head, before she was interrupted by an arrow rushing past her face, slicing her cheekbone.

Yes, they were allied, but just for now. And her partner was falling apart in front of her eyes. She had only bought him time.

Amber eyes went up to see the distraction from her prey, and she gave a cool smile of purple lips, and thus the sniper battle began. Both went their separate ways, Widowmaker using her grappling hook and Hanzo running up the wall, both ready to guard their teammates and prove themselves superior to the other.

Widowmaker was rather amused that Talon had managed to turn Overwatch's own Captain Reyes into little more than a doll with various strings to pull; yet a man, one who was essentially a _hobo_ , had evaded them for years. True, Talon was her boss, and they had programmed obedience into her, but in the long stretches of time between her treatments she was always a bit more inclined to feel more human emotions.

Annoyance always came swiftest and strongest- and this inconvenience made no exception to that rule. And Hanzo and hers "Sniper Tango" as the youngest one amongst them calls it, draws that up from the depth of her being in spades.

The fight was coming to a halt as Mei shouted over the intercom that they needed to finish this and get to shelter- the blizzard would be terrible, the front was moving in too quickly. Zarya had been trying to figure something out in terms of getting people a place to hide, and had managed to unlock a door in the side of the building.

"Tactical visor, activating." Jack said as he pressed a finger to the side of his mask, locking onto the remaining omnics and firing off his gun, running and making sure he didn't see any remaining omnics attempting to flank.

He emptied his gun, and took in a deep sigh of relief as the immediate threat was taken care of. But that meant that the wartime camadarie, the Gabriel Reyes that had fought with him in the Omnic Crisis, was gone once more. The hallucination vanished like all the others did, even if it had been one he would have much rather held onto.

But Reaper was still there. He was back to back, as Reaper had been ensuring that nothing got to Jack's back while he was using his tactical visor.

And when they separated, Jack going to reload his gun quickly, he realized that he'd unloaded the last rounds into the omnics- and now there was no greater threat.

He held up his gun, ready to bluff, even though he knew the game was over.

Time to face the music and see if Jesse's theory held any water. He'd noticed the cracks in the Reaper persona all night. Time to see if the curtain was falling on their story, or if was signaling a break, a change in scenery.

Time to see if he would finally die at the hands of his ex-lover.

( _ **HELP ME!**_ _The hallucination's bleached, monster-toothed smile as it prepared for the strike, versus the Gabriel who had_ _looked at him with nothing but absolute love_ , _the one who had hesitated, who called him Jacques and said it was Jackass because he was embarrassed.)_

Time to see which one of those personas was the real one.

XXXXX

The stress and familiarity of having a small team combating a large force that's nearly unbeatable was fading, and with it faded Gabriel Reyes. As interesting as the implacable feeling of having been in the situation before was, Reaper had a job to do. _**Its what he was made for**_. Something was still bothering him though, and even though Widowmaker had reminded him of his purpose he couldn't shake off the feeling of wrongness this time, couldn't push it back down to his subconscious and ignore it, return to blissful ignorance. _When had he stopped having Jack's back?_ Because something felt importantly about this situation, about being so fluid in working with Jack, in knowing Jack was looking after him.

There was a break in the fight- as the Overwatch agents swarmed and started taking things down, and Widowmaker was nowhere in sight. Jack and him had been back to back, but at the realization they no longer needed to ally, they split apart, and Jack went to reload, before pausing, holding up what had to be an empty gun with panic in an attempt to bluff it.

The wind was picking up- Zarya's comment to them all from before- that there would be a snowstorm and they would have to make this quick was coming to haunt him now. He watched as Omnics were slaughtered, and he was distantly reminded of those days in the Omnic Crisis again. Back then, Jack and him had always watched each others backs. Just like they had today, even if it had been a temporary truce. Even if it had been just so that Reaper could kill Jack himself.

 _But when had he stopped having Jack's back?_ The thought was drowned out by the rage and the urgency to kill Jack. Even Widowmaker had said it earlier- _**he didn't have many chances left with Talon's good graces. He had to make this quick.**_

Reaper had exactly _one_ bullet left, one shot left in his round. Reaper had the chance to kill Jack Morrison, once and for all. His breathing picked up at the concept, the idea, of finally ending Jack Morrison. Once and for all.

As he and Jack stared each other down, he winced, the voice in his head- his Angelino's voice- echoing around in his head that conversation that he'd had with a dead man late at night, the vague memory of Jesse curling up with him and Jack despite everything feeling so much like something from before. Jesse saying to hold on.

Jack's empty gun didn't move from its place, aimed at his chest, and Reaper's finger found the trigger of his shotgun lazily, the motion almost effortless. It would be so _easy_. He was made to kill- made to kill Jack Morrison, even. He had to do the one thing he was made for, or he would be a failure. A blast of cold wind made him shiver slightly, shifting on his feet as he stood there with his finger on the trigger, Jack frozen in front of him once more.

But the memory of how Jesse took the shot for him was powerful in his mind, watching as he gasped in pain at being shot in the middle from behind, but he had _refused_ to let Jack shoot Gabe. Refused to let Jack hurt Gabe. He was on Gabriel's side. _But wasn't he on Jack's side, too? That sounded familiar. But he couldn't…think clearly about it. He needed to dig for more clues, needed more time._ And so Gabriel stood now with both a gun and Jack's life in his hands.

His Angelino was right there, perhaps ten, fifteen feet away, staring them down, pleading Gabriel as the snow and the cold wind began to pick up, sending shivers down his spine. He was starting to feel the cold more, and at some point he had abandoned the coat Widowmaker had given him. He remembered Jesse gently stroking his hair and asking him to not hurt the people he was with, the faint memory of warmth and comfort all he had in the growing blizzard. Jesse would probably jump to take the shot anyway, and he was looking worse for wear. And even if he didn't take Reaper's bullet, he would still wind up injured. Jesse cared for Jack, for one reason or another.

Another faint memory came up, this one older, and in it, a younger Jesse, and a younger Jack, and himself, sitting around a table, but not younger by much.

_("I won't choose either of you, got that? I care about you both, n' from what I've gathered, you both care about me, in a way that's not unlike how you care about each other. And I wanna be with you both. Do you accept that, Gabi? Jacques? You guys don't have to think of it as "dating" if you don't want to, but just…getting somethin' new n' interesting. And if you like it, well, then perhaps we could be something more."_

_His hands were on the table in front of them, waiting for Jack and Gabriel to take them or deny him- to deny what they had all been feeling of late. The strange connections that they had been sharing over the past several years, ever since Jesse had brought him to a childhood home with blood that hadn't ever been cleaned up and Jack had stumbled over his words when he went to reassure Jesse, and paid for his prosthetic.)_

The shot was there. But Gabriel Reyes couldn't take it. Reaper was meant to take that shot, he had been expressly told to take that shot, to kill Jack Morrison at all costs.

Jack was staring at him, his blue eyes hidden behind his visor, but he hadn't missed the way they had flickered to him in the memory, ( _the way that Jack had still cared about him as well, back then his face hadn't yet been too tired, back then he hadn't looked betrayed or angered or that resigned sadness. He had looked tentative, but still mildly hopeful that not yet 30 years of a relationship wouldn't be wasted over something so small. How a pale, calloused hand had gone and intertwined itself in Jesse's and how Jack had said yes, that he understood, that he wanted to give Jesse a try and Gabriel a second chance._ _And that he accepted this and all of its potential good and bad, and whatever benefits or consequences came.)_

And so he laughed, and tossed away his guns to reform new ones beneath his coat.

_("I understand, Jesse." Gabriel nodded as well, staring at the hand, staring at his options. On the one hand, he had this itch in the back of his mind, that this was wrong, that he couldn't trust Jack, but it was Jesse, not Jack asking this of him. And Jesse, well, he had wormed into his heart so efficiently over the past several years, and his smile was the only thing he wanted to see, and he wanted so badly to know what it was like to hold his hand. And so he'd tossed those paranoid thoughts away, and set his hand into Jesse's and Jack's, giving a tentative smile. He trusted Jesse.)_

Gabriel consciously made the decision to disobey, and it screamed within him like he was an idiot who was going to be killed but it also felt like _relief_ , because it meant that he would finally be killed, be allowed to rest. It felt like a victory- since he listened to Jesse and _not_ them, and if he died protecting his Angelino it would be okay. He coughed, black blood coming up but somehow he didn't respond to it, looking up towards where Jack stood, his defensive stance falling as he seemed to realize that something was _wrong_ with Gabriel. _Took you long enough, bastard_. Something he had thought once dead in his mind berated Jack, and even the curse was laced with forgotten affection. _16 years is a long time to not notice it in someone you've known for 33._

"And I accept." He mumbled to himself, eyes distant as he felt the snow and the cold come in, the wind blowing harder and making it harder to see- not that he was paying much attention anyway. His body was smoking, finding it harder to maintain his form for the various conflicting emotions that raged underneath the calm surface. "For all its potential benefits, and consequences."

_(Jesse had kissed them both, Jack first and then Gabriel, and Jack and Gabriel had kissed as well, if a bit more chastely than the ones between Jesse.)_

Jack was still in front of him; looking awfully confused- he had always been so slow to pick up on things. His black sludge of vomit was dripping down his face, and he felt his form shift and struggle with him as his emotions raged. He felt a blast of cold wind go through him, and did not struggle as it tore his shifting form apart.

The blizzard, as it descended upon them all in of its full, cold fury, completely obscured his view of Jack and Jesse, and he lost control of his form just as he heard a sharp call for his name, being blown and tossed around by the wind and accepting his fate as little more than a ghost of a man without much to his name but pieces of memories and fragments of self and what felt like a lifetime's worth of regrets and things left unsaid.

_(He had looked so hopeful, brown eyes warm and kind and Gabriel had been willing to hold on for just that much longer, fight just a little bit longer. For his Angelino. Jesse McCree, setting him down not even a half hour ago, promising him that he would be back. Please, just hold on, Gabi."_

So, Gabriel would be willing to hold on a bit longer yet.

For his Angelino, he would hold on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's a little rushed, h/e. I'll come back and edit it more later. 
> 
> I just want to push it out before Sombra's release, and I'm betting that Sombra is gonna be released tomorrow when the counter reaches 23% at around 11 tomorrow morning my time. I just want to be clear that I think sombra is gonna be Gabriel Reyes' SIC. And that she was Blackwatch.
> 
> have a good night y'all!! if you guys wanna play me im p low level bc im back at school, but still but im #working on it at the same time im working on this! I play ps4 as harmicist!! There's another chapter in the "Volskaya incident" miniarc still. And another 4-5 ultimately before the next arc.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOMBRA. I CANNOT EVEN BELIEVE THIS. Blizzard, i just want to play her. why r u doing this 2 me.
> 
> Thank u for all the support/reviews!! I cannot believe my fic almost has 7000 hits! You are def all the reason for why this monstrosity of a fanfic has gotten to 70k, and even if this isnt the mcreaper76 fanfic that we deserve given that I am not the best writer, i will continue to push along through it. You guys last chapter said that I was torturing y'all. Oh, huns, you havent seen the last of that. 
> 
> If you've read Memento mori, you'll recognize some of the scenes in reference to Zurich, just like if you've read the prequel fic, the Freeway leads to the Grave, you'd see some familiar lines sprinkled throughout. GO bug sam into finishing it. Anyways, i'll stop rambling. Enjoy. <3

The body that apparently wouldn't die was eventually blown through in a forgotten door, and he reformed harshly just before he slammed against the wall. Gabriel Reyes didn't really want to have to be stuck as a pool of mist in this cold. He shivered as he looked up, the cold sinking into his bones as he looked around. The wind was blowing powerfully outside, and the most he could do to shield himself from it was to slowly pull backwards from the door, and lay against the wall.

For however long, he sat there, shivering and thinking that he did it- he'd disobeyed his orders, disobeyed _direct_ orders, orders to kill Jack. The thought would have made him giddy, if he wasn't feeling so nauseous and disoriented after the fact, every instinct and feeling (Fake ones, made to manipulate him) rallied against him.

Slowly, he took off his glove, the one on his right hand, and looked at the tattoo he had put on his ring finger, where an actual wedding ring had once gone.

" _Aun después de que se me olvide todo lo demás, protegeré Jesse, Mi Angelino."_

Or, even after he'd forgotten everything, I will protect Jesse, my Angelino.

They soothed him, and reminded him why he did that , despite how much pain he was in now for it, because he's forgotten everything else, everything except for a few ghostly emotions like regret and grief that crawled up his being now that he was alone, staring out into white and wondering where they had all gone, and threatened to drown him even as the cold sank into him.

He couldn't move, as exhaustion and hypothermia set in. So all that he could do now was wait. Wait for someone, anyone, to show up for him. He didn't care if it was Overwatch, Talon, Widowmaker or Jesse. He needed help, Jesse's voice echoed in his head.

But no one came. Granted, when he'd been thrown apart by the harsh winds and his own failing grip on his body, he had only been barely able to see Jesse, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt when time dripped on like the freezing black sludge that still leaked from his nose every now and again. Where was his Angelino? For that matter, where was anyone?

He was on the verge of passing out altogether, from hypothermia, most likely, when he vaguely heard a semi-familiar voice saying, "Oh my gosh!" And making him open his eyes a tad.

It was Mei-Ling Zhou, Overwatch's own Captain America. The woman created an ice wall to hold in the heat, before she turned and put down some things to build a fire. But she had effectively locked them both in.

Well, if he were to die here, at least he wouldn't die alone.

XXXXX

Mei sighed as she patted down herself. She thought the Reaper had been awake for a second, but when she looked back from where she was starting the fire, he seemed completely unconscious.

She had known this man, once upon a time, when she'd been just one scientist in Overwatch's environmental branch, studying climate change. They'd never been close, as they were not only in separate branches, but in entirely different worlds, considering that Gabriel had been black ops and Mei had been a researcher. That doesn't mean she hadn't known him, though. She'd met him through Jesse, the cowboy who was notoriously good about getting around, into everyone else's business.

She'd been 26, just out of graduate school, and she'd run into a kid! A kid who was a very good sweet talker, of course, and who had brought her to long-time crush Jack Morrison and his boyfriend, Gabriel Reyes. She and Jesse had been alright with each other, even if they didn't see each other much. And then she'd found out the cowboy was one of Gabriel's.

In the reformed Overwatch, she had been one of those to vote against Jesse McCree, given his newfound bounty and his insistence that Gabriel was still good. Blackwatch had been full of traitors, and the loyalty to Reyes suggested something similar.

But, Jesse had told them all that Gabriel was in trouble, and though she hadn't believed him back then, given how Gabriel and, consequently, Reaper, always displayed that unending image of strength.

Well, damn if it he didn't look like he was in trouble now.

As he lay there, limp on the floor, mask forgotten somewhere on the battlefield, face slack, still dripping some sort of viscous black liquid from his mouth and nose. She took out her handkerchief, before wiping it off his face, and drew back suddenly as he stirred and groaned briefly.

But nothing came- there was not a rapid drawing of shotguns or mocking laughter. He simply readjusted on the floor, and curled up again. She put a blanket over him, wondering if he could even produce heat properly, or if the basic process of homeostasis was compromised. She put on a pot of soup from the other survival gear in her bag, noticing that his face was rather gaunt in a way that wasn't caused by his undead look- but in the way of human starvation.

He seemed to be in some pretty poor shape, and she was concerned if she just let him lay there and rest, he might not wake up again. (The memories of waking up alone with her team, frozen forever, still haunted her. Her boss, her coworkers and friends, even the cute girl who she'd been working up the nerve to ask out, all frozen. At least they looked at peace. But Mei wouldn't let people die of this sort of cold if she didn't think they deserved it. And if Reaper deserved it was truly a question, given how sickly he looked. She would have to find out.)

So she spoke.

"Hey, are you awake?"

He didn't really remember falling asleep, but when he felt the heat of a fire on his aching limbs, he realized he had to have passed out. Gabriel opened his eyes to stare at the intruder, looking at her blearily.

Nothing came, he seemed uncertain of a few things, but his hands- notably ungloved, came up and grabbed the blanket, holding it tighter around his shoulders. He shivered a bit, trying to warm up. "…Why are you here? Why aren't you with the rest of your team?"

That hadn't been quite what she was expecting him to say, and she also was a fair bit surprised that he wasn't angry or hostile in the way she'd seen him. No, he seemed genuinely confused.

And so, Mei explained it. "I showed up to provide backup for them. We received a few calls from Zarya and 76 that they needed additional assistance, and so myself, Bastion, and a few others came. However, the blizzard was mighty fierce, I saw someone laying on the ground in here, and I came in. The outermost door was broken, and so the wind kept coming in. So I made an ice wall. Unfortunately, since my weather tracker says the blizzard is going strong out there, we're stuck for now."

"Ah." Reaper said, belatedly, not sure of how to respond. He seemed out of it- in some stage of hypothermia, undoubtedly, and Mei knew she would have to talk to him, encourage him to stay awake.

"How is your relationship with Jesse?" She asks, trying to think of something asinine to talk about- something that wouldn't irritate him. "Is the sex good?" Jesse was always asking those sorts of questions, and they typically worked out for him pretty well.

Gabriel blinked, and the red faded from his eyes, as the black receded, replaced by white. He seemed bewildered by her words, and offered a confused chuckle. "Well, he rides well."

Mei laughed at that. "Really! I saw him as a top! When we had sex, he was the one, you know."

"No, McCree is a top in spirit, but he enjoys bottoming far more." Gabriel offered, slowly sitting up as Mei continued to speak with him. He seemed to be more aware, so that was good. He seemed docile enough, and it confused her a fair amount. He blinked, looking at the floor, before looking back at her.

"He… actually goes by 76 now? I kept hearing the whole team call him that. But he's Jack, and surely you all know this, I sort of remember that coming to light." He rubbed his head tiredly, wincing a bit. "Ow. Headache." He complained. "Shouldn't try and think about that too much."

Mei looked at him up and down, before deciding that was truthful, and that Reaper honestly didn't know. "Yes, he does." She agreed.

"Why?" Reaper asked, bewildered. He really didn't know his effect on Jack, the effect Jack's name had on him. Interesting. And he seemed concerned, confused.

Well, no harm in telling him, she supposed. "I don't know all the details, and he's not said anything to the team one way or another. I believe that he'll tell us when he's ready to."

"Does anyone know?" Gabriel's fingers were clenched tightly in her blanket. His brown eyes were looking into her own intensely. He wanted answers. That is what Jesse had said. And it looked like Jesse was right about that bit.

She hummed. "If I had to wager, if he's told anyone, Mercy, and McCree would have the best idea, but I don't think he's told anyone the full reasoning for it. From what little I do know about the symptoms of the beast, I would say it was PTSD, but from what I've heard Mercy say is that whatever gunk they gave you two before the omnic crisis was impacting him. But potentially, it could be both. Like I said, he's not told me, we weren't close. And whatever is truly behind it is probably anyone's guess. I don't think it's entirely your fault, even. Though you probably played a large part, he reacts to his name…negatively. And though I understand what happened in Zurich was a mess, the sort of psychological trauma he displays indicates, at least to me, that it was something deeper. What you did to him was the final push, rather than an inciting incident. But that's just my speculation."

_Jack's quiet voice, alone in the night. Back when they'd been in Nepal, on the airship, when Jesse had held them both for the first time in a long time, even if Reaper had been brought so low as to be kept in a teddy bear._

_"I'm…working on opening up more. You deserve it, a lot of you do. Explanations and stuff. Why I'm like this now, that sort of junk. You see, I was really close, back then, but then I lost everything." Jack's voice was quiet, remorseful. Gabriel had wanted to tell him that he was sorry._

_But mulling over his words now implicated that not all of this was from Gabriel. His words almost directly implied that he had come to Zurich to tell Gabe something. And as time had passed since then, and he thought back more to the hazy Zurich incident, something Jack had said resonated heavily within him like a stone. He couldn't remember much of what was going on, even now, remembering the beginning of it felt like he was trapped in some sort of nightmare._

_"I know you're stressed out, but I am too. We have a lot to talk about. I have a lot I need to say."_

_Jack had definitely wanted to say something to him then. The words echoing vaguely in his mind were irritated- he'd. He'd not spoken to him, he was quiet. Strangely so, he thought, given that he was with Jack. But, thinking back on it now, on the anger he'd felt then, and it felt distinctly unreal. Like his mind had been trapped in his body._

"Why tell me that? Couldn't I use this against him?" He asked, shaking himself out from the memories, dreams? Nightmare. He felt strangely disconnected from this thing that he knew he had played a role in, but the events he had thought had happened had been thrown into the toilet, and the things others said occurred vaguely reverberated in his mind. Echoing inside him emptily, illuminating things that sickened him to think about. ( _Why would he use this against Jack? That was sick to even think about, using that sort of problem against him_. _The voice telling him that Jack deserved to have this happen to him was smothered more easily. He had standards, didn't he? He'd wanted to be a hero. Heroes wouldn't use their opponents mental illness against them. But was he a hero? Now there was a question_ )

"Well, if you were ever to use this against 76 I will personally freeze you in cryostasis. Permanently. And with your condition, I wouldn't be surprised if you just kept dying and coming back to life.

Gabriel frowned at the severity of the threat. He hated the cold to begin with, and the thought of being permanently frozen wasn't particularly pleasant. He eyed her endothermic blaster suspiciously. "Why do you care?"

Mei flushed. "Well, for one, he's my teammate- ah, that was right. She was one of Jack's. "And he is a good guy, even if he pretends like he isn't and he's my friend." There was a long pause, and her face went a deeper red. "And I _might_ have had a crush on him a long time ago."

Those were all reasons for her not to tell him anything. She wasn't on his side, no one was. Gabriel was alone, except for Jesse. But she was here now, telling him this. So why was she disclosing this information to him. Gabriel wasn't a hero anymore. No, he was…he was the villain in their story, wasn't he? Wore a dark black coat and a mask in the shape of a skull or a barn owl's face, alternatively. _Ana had told him once that owls were a symbol of bad omens in Islam, and though she could say owl in English just fine, hearing someone say it in Arabic always made her shiver, and seeing them always disturbed her. And yet, it was his symbol now. Was he still surprised that she had taken Jack's side?_ "Why are you telling me this?"

"Jesse has been saying for a while now that the reason he's fighting for you is because there's still something good in you. And if he sees good in you enough to keep seeing you, you can't be all bad. It means you have to care somewhere about your old overs, right?" She sighed. "And I don't think you will. There's something in your face right now. You look disgusted at the thought of using it against him."

Gabriel didn't know how to respond to that. Angelino would probably be happy if he didn't hurt Jack. He rubbed at the tattoo again, the one that was on his right hand's ring finger. And he kept repeating the words to himself. Strengthening his hold on himself in that pathetic, small sense. His Angelino would want him to.

Once more, Gabriel had to wonder why he started hating all of Overwatch. There was good in it. The kids had been nice, the new ones that had fought with him that day. Jack had fought side by side and had protected him just as he had protected Jack.

People like Mei and Lúcio and Zarya had been so kind, and now that he actually tries to think back, Reinhardt, Angela and Torbjorn as well. He'd come to a similar conclusion back in Nepal, now that he had time to think about it.

And then he'd gone back to Talon. And…then he remembered nothing. Talon. Talon was doing this to him, weren't they?

Even after he forgot everything, he would protect his Angelino.

His Angelino…was fighting Talon, wasn't he? That was what Overwatch was doing now. Fighting the omnic crisis that Talon was so desperately stirring up.

He remembered in that nightmarish way that he remembered Zurich, he remembered telling them they were in Lijiang. He remembered describing the airship, and he remembered them going off and leaving him there, saying they would finish where he had failed. And that they would deal with him later.

They had tried to kill his Angelino. Talon had.

He had given them the information they needed to do it. He needed to get a grip on himself. Before he lost his Angelino as well. He was doing this to himself.

And Mei understood, and spoke Spanish. Mei saw the soup was about to boil; and so she poured it into a thermos, and handed it to Gabriel. He looked starving, and the soup could potentially help him warm back up. His shivers had ceased, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"What's the nickname from?" She asked after a few seconds of listening to his mantra about protecting Jesse, his Angelino. "I thought that McCree was from New Mexico, isn't it for someone from Los Angeles?"

Mei's voice distracted him from his muddled thoughts, and he noticed that his body had begun to fade away again. She was extending a bowl of soup to him, and he was hungry, a faint pang in his stomach. Plus it was warm, and he was cold. He was able to grab it with the tattooed hand, since it was still formed enough to be physical.

"From his father's surname- his full name is Jesse DiAngelo McCree." Gabriel recited, the fact clear enough in his mind. Luis and Joy DiAngelo McCree, both dead before Jesse was old enough to drive or work. Gabriel set the bowl down on the cold metal flooring, his form shifting. He didn't want to drop it, and yet he almost did, the soup sloshing as it tilted out of his suddenly intangible grip. The next statement was harder to remember, more blurry. "I think he told me it was his mother's nickname for his father, and after his mother died giving birth to Jesse, Luis used it for Jesse."

As he dropped the thermos of soup, Mei softened altogether. "Oh dear." She said sympathetically, since he can't even _feed_ himself.

Gabriel couldn't remember anything. He had done this, hadn't he? The scars on Jack's face, the blindness. He had turned to Talon, Talon the thing that had hurt him, hurt Jack, and hurt his Angelino. He couldn't remember it before but now he could; now he could and it _hurt_.

This was his entire fault. All of it, it was all his fault. He'd done this.

He remembered now, the leak. The leak, the one that he had seen giving stuff to Talon. The one who had compromised his command. It hadn't just compromised his command, his command had been compromised because he had been the leak, he had been compromised.

And he felt sick all over again, even as his stomach growled for the food he was now staring at with an empty expression.

Carefully, forgetting the space she'd put purposefully between them, she pulled him over onto her lap to share body heat. His skin was so cold; it made her shiver, but Jesse would thank her later. And she began to spoon feed him, even though he looked completely miserable.

"Let me die." Gabriel rasped, alarming Mei as she gripped him tighter- he had seemed fine a moment ago, what was going on.

"No, I won't. Jesse wants you around. 76 wants you around. You will live, and you're in my hands. No one is dying on me again."

He let out a gasp of a sob, shaking with the sudden emotion coursing through him. "Why are you being nice to me? Why are any of you nice to me? Why is _Jesse_ nice to me?!" Because Gabriel didn't deserve this- he had done this.

"Jesse is nice to you because he sees the good in you, and I can too. Sure, it's been buried a little." She stoked the fire a bit more, pulling him closer and giving him some skin to skin contact, just trying to help him warm up, because he felt like ice. "And from what I think now, I think you deserve another chance. Someone came in and royally fucked up your life."

"Yes, it was me," he said melodramatically. "I was the one royally fucked up my life." He doesn't remember a lot, but he blamed himself a lot because they were using him like their puppet. They had used him to hurt Jesse, and now that he thought of it, they had used him to hurt Jack, used him to hurt his friends. Used him to bring down the very thing he had worked his whole life to build. And he's warm, but not as warm as he was with Jesse.

"Jesse wants you to stay alive." Mei continued to spoon him the soup, unsure of what to say and just trying to get stuff in him- he looked half-starved, or maybe more than halfway starved. "He wouldn't forgive himself if he lost you to something like this. You want to protect him right? Keep holding on."

"Okay," he agreed, simply, _because he does want to protect Jesse, he promised he would but Talon had hurt him used him to hurt Jesse, but he's so cold._ He kept eating the soup and felt tiredness sink back into him, and he eventually refused the spoon, and so she put it down, _and_ _why can't she just let him sleep? Why won't they let him sleep?_

She stroked his back and just tried her best to comfort him at this point- he looked like he was _dying_. "Are you tired?" She asked, unsure of what else there was she could do for him at this point. "I'll have to wake you up in about 30 minutes to make sure you're not dying, but you can rest."

"Can't rest," he says. "They don't like me resting. Not till they say," _But_ _he's just with Mei, they aren't watching him, they won't see if he sleeps, they won't know_. His thoughts were becoming more and more disjointed, from cold, from the way his head was spinning thinking of everything. He was alone, he was safe. They weren't watching.

He passed out again. His breathing was unnaturally slowed, his heart rate as well. His skin was cold.

Mei just kept a vigilant watch on his vitals, tending to the fire and taking off her coat as well once she makes sure there's no heat escaping the cave, hot boxing them in and cuddling under blankets with Gabriel's icy body, trying her best to keep him warm. She got a message from Jesse, and texted him that she had Gabriel. He excitedly asked her how he was, and she couldn't answer him just yet.

 _Please, find us quickly Jesse_. She texted back after a second. _He's not in good shape._

After another 15 minutes, Mei woke him up with a small shake after she'd removed his guns from their holster in his coat. She didn't want to die because she was taking care of him.

"Gabriel? Are you okay? I need you to wake up and say something. Then you can go right back to sleep, alright?" She murmured gently.

He muttered incoherently, brow furrowing because sleep was nice, even though his dreams kinda hurt his head. He squinted his eyes open and saw Mei, disappointment mounting inside of him. "Thought I was with Angelino," He slurred, "I miss him." He sounded delirious, and she frowned.

"Jesse's trying to find us, okay?" She told him encouragingly, feeling how he was fading; it was definitely that the cold was sunk into his core in a way that was hurting him even more. "Can you hold on?" And then she remembered. "What do they say to let you sleep?" She asks him, wondering if he can give her the trigger word so that she can help him out. Actually, finding any of his triggers would be helpful to Mercy in the long run.

"I 'unno," he half-heartedly replied. "I'm not really sure, don' really _let_ me sleep," he mumbled, wrapping himself in the blanket. "I hope Angelino finds us soon. If I'm seein' him now though it means I've died but, I surely don't deserve an angel."

Mei nodded a bit, feeling surprisingly strongly for this man because he just seemed lost and tired and delirious. It was just as Jesse had said. Gabriel needed help.

"Well, I hope so too." Her phone ringer went off, and it was from Jesse- he was telling her that the storm was breaking up, and that he had gotten her location, and would be there shortly. "He'll be here soon. You just have to hang on a little longer, Gabriel."

Gabriel nodded, closing his eyes, believing her. Jesse was almost here. He would help him.

He would get his answers.

She heard footsteps outside their hideway, and then a loud knock on the ice wall, and preemptively, Mei broke it, believing it to be Jesse.

But it was not.

XXXXX

Widowmaker, by default, had tried to kill Mei, but the Chinese woman went into her annoying protective ice, and Widowmaker was running on borrowed time- Reaper's time, to be precise. And he looked absolutely miserable as he stared at her from the floor.

Unfortunately, the woman apparently couldn't do it with someone else, and so Reaper was left by the fire, with no way to protect himself as he slowly tried to back away from her, trying to go into his wraith form. It got him onto his feet, but he couldn't hold it. It had to be too cold.

"Nice try, _my friend_." She said in affectionate French. "But we have to go."

He was still trying to get away from her, and so she followed him out into the blizzard that was coming to an end, and watched him try and fling himself off the edge, before she used her grabbling hook to rescue the man from his suicidal intent.

As she landed, she forced him to hold onto her, wrapping him in an icy hug with her blue skin somehow even more blue than usual. Though she admitted that it would have been a kindness to let him die, she was selfish, and Gabriel was the only one she could consider a friend. And she had her orders.

Reaper was completely delirious- they had left him in this wretched state and she felt something like pity curl around her innards. His eyes weren't focused as she wrapped one of his arms around her shoulder and began to walk away from all of these people. She had her orders.

He turned his head to her, focusing briefly on her even as she did her best to not look at him. She didn't want to see his eyes, didn't want to have her dreams plagued by them.

"I think I knew you in a life a long time ago." He mumbled, and she stopped in her tracks, his skin feeling a bit warmer against her own. She couldn't meet his gaze. "What have they done to us?"

She had her orders, and so she kept walking. Her grip tightened on him, hoisting him up a bit more to hold him more tenderly, and avoid hurting him. His mask was in her pack, from where it had been removed in the fight. This wasn't Reaper talking, this was Gabriel.

"…They did a lot of things, Gabriel. But it will be okay. I know it hurts right now. But once we return, the pain of remembering will be gone." She attempted to console her comrade. She didn't feel many things, but she did feel some sort of loyalty to a man she had worked with so many times. She also knew he was talking of Amelié, but Amelié was dead, and Widowmaker had been formed of her brain-dead corpse.

He looked back down, resting his forehead on her shoulder, seeming to realize she wouldn't look at him. "It's never _gone_. It's just buried. Then it hurts more when it comes back."

Widowmaker was silent for a beat after that- she didn't really know how to respond to that. The only thing she had to offer was this. "If you're lucky, Reyes, perhaps they'll end you for good."

He went silent as well, walking with her and not resisting. He continued to tap his finger, and she spotted the tattoo on the right hand that gripped her around her slender back. One of her finer works, back in the days before Overwatch had collapsed on itself in a beautiful, delicious irony. She took his glove from where she had stuffed it in her belt after she'd picked it up off the floor, and gently slid it back over his hand so that that wouldn't be taken from him as well.

Some things were sacred, after all, and the final echoes of memories and her tattoos were considered sacred in her book.

She had orders to bring him back, to return him to Talon like a good agent.

But, she had no order requiring her to not let him hold onto some fragile part of his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry fam.
> 
> And so ends the Volskaya Incident. 
> 
> Chapter 20 is when the arc will change for sure. If the first arc was set up and coming to see the way things used to be, what's the second arc? I'm interested in what you think. More than that, what is the third part??


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two updates? on the same day? its more likely than u think.
> 
> Aka I have sort of the urge to write a bunch and im also REALLY BUSY bc of college. 
> 
> We're almost at 8000 hits now??? nice! Sorry this took so long to get out though! I hope you enjoy it regardless! A return to normalcy and some revelations are in store for this chapter.

" _Really_ , McCree?" Lena groaned, looking at his shirt in the Gibraltar base's main living space with barely concealed disgust. "The _one_ bonus of the ship blowing up was that your less than appropriate shirts were destroyed as well."

McCree looked up, and then down to the t-shirt he was wearing, that had two arrows, the first pointed at his face saying, "The man," and the other pointed down to his crotch with the text, "the legend."

"If y'all can't handle me in my casual wear, ya don't deserve me in my _formal_ wear." Jesse said without missing a beat, giving her a lazy grin.

Angela snorted. "That implies that you're occasionally _not_ dressed in casual wear." She said behind a pot of coffee, tending to the last of everyone's injuries from the firefight. They were 76's, naturally, because the man was stubborn as a damned bull when it came to actually fucking going to the doctor.

"Jeez, Ange, go for the throat, will ya?" Jesse complained with a grumble, folding his arms over his chest as 76 gave a barely concealed chortle, stiffening up a bit when Lena gave him a sidelong look.

They had regrouped following the end of the blizzard in Volskaya, and a few dedicated fans of Lúcio and had managed to arrange some transport to Gibraltar while the CEO of Volskaya Industries had given her personal assurance that their team would have safe transport out of Russia for their

While he would have _gladly_ chased down Widowmaker with help from Tracer, 76 and Mei had pointed out they didn't know where she was going, and by not regrouping with the team they would remain at risk for attack.

Didn't mean Jesse hadto _like_ returning to Gibraltar and then sitting on his ass for a fucking week.

"As funny as your shirt is, unfortunately, you do need to change it, and get into your battle gear." Angela came through with the telltale file folders that meant mission assignments. "You're with me again, McCree. We're making a quick run over to Egypt, 76 has asked us to look into Sombra's activities there, and Fareeha was interested in making our check-in quick."

"Who's all coming?" Jesse asked as he stretched; glad to at least get off base for some time. Even if he didn't run into Gabe, god, he just felt stifled back in the metal halls without the other members of Blackwatch to poke fun of Overwatch with. It felt different and like an unwelcome change from his life on the cold desert highways with nothing but dust, hot air, and empty skies.

"Well, myself, you, D.va, 76, Reinhardt, and Pharah." Angela listed off easily.

Jesse nodded, giving an easy grin. "Sounds good to me." He grabbed Peacekeeper off the side table of the couch, waving backwards as he walked off to go fix himself up.

It had been a week. It had only been a week. He'd been in contact with Gabriel, with Reaper, for a month and more. Surely Gabriel could have held out for just a week.

But something heavy remained in his gut, warning him that they had managed to completely turn Amelié within two weeks.

And it warned him that Gabriel was already most of the way turned.

XXXXX

All and all, the mission had been running altogether successfully. Pharah and had managed to get the God Program offline again from where Sombra had restarted it, though it had been admittedly a closer call than what they would have been comfortable.

Jesse was in the market, trying his best to talk in broken Arabic with a shopkeeper about buying flowers, planning in his head on making a visit to Ana's memorial later that day, when the shopkeeper paled behind him.

" _Hehe, I will be back in 5 minutes."_ He said nervously, sweating a bit before turning tail and running back into his storefront.

Ana had taught him that saying '5 minutes' definitely did not actually mean five minutes in Egypt a long time ago, so he had a pretty good guess of who put their gun against his head, pushing his hat up on his head.

"Turn around slowly, American dog." He ground out in English, removing the gun from his head.

Big mistake.

Jesse whipped around, pulling out his gun before the idiot could even react, and smacking it over his head as he reloaded it with flair, and had it aimed on his temple.

"Now listen, I was jus' going about my day buyin' flowers for an old friend." McCree grinned lazily. "We already beat y'all once, are you jus' that eager to follow yer buds?"

The man shook a bit, staring at him with terror. "No, please, don't shoot!" He said quickly. "We aren't under orders from Hakim now. No, I was under orders from-."

There was the loud noise of a gunshot, and the man fell with a resounding thud.

He knew the sound of that gun just about anywhere now. McCree turned, looking over to where it had fired from, and watched as Reaper emerged from the shadows.

"I don't take betrayal lightly." He growled, glaring at the corpse. McCree held up peacekeeper for Gabriel to see, before putting it back in his holster. This was his chance. He'd been hoping to run into him.

"Gabriel." Jesse started, as Reaper chortled at him.

" _Idiot_. I thought I taught you better than to put your gun away when you're about to have a fire fight." He admonished mockingly, as the hellfire shotguns were pointed to his head. "But then again, you never _were_ a good student."

Reaper wasn't yet firing, which he took as a good sign. Even when Reaper had gotten aggressive, he'd not fired _at_ Jesse. Jesse would have to take it in good faith that he wouldn't. But he was moving McCree into a corner, and with the predatory red glare behind the mask, Jesse felt that warning in his gut again.

"I taught you everything you know." Reaper growled at him, before Jesse flashbanged him, just trying to get out of the space he'd been cornered into, switching their positions somewhat.

"Not everything." He argued back. "Lucky for me, I still got a few tricks of my own."

And Jesse knew that he had to distract him, had to pull him away, and so he pushed up Gabriel's mask and kissed him, holding his cold face between his hands. There was nothing. No response, hopefully it would work, and Gabe would snap out of it. Wake up again. Come back to him.

Please, let Gabriel have held out a week longer, for him.

There was no meeting in the middle. But there _was_ a laugh, cold and calculated as the stun of the flashbang ended, before Reaper's hands were on his chest, shoving him down to the floor, a boot landing on his chest.

"Gabriel!" Jesse called, trying to stun him. " _Gabi, please, its me. Jesse, right? You know me."_

There was another chuckle, and Reaper looked him up and down. "You look ridiculous, McCree. Still chasing after a fantasy."

McCree is trying to get his attention but he just…can't. It wasn't working.

Why wasn't it working?

"Still chasing after your superior officer, looking to add him to your _collection_." Reaper crooned in that dark, mocking tone. He was staring down at him, looking like a wild cat, analyzing the way to kill his prey. Playing with his food. Just like how 76 had described him in Zurich. Like a panther or a jaguar prowling and waiting for the opportune moment to pounce and break his neck.

He had to try. Gabriel had been mostly turned against everyone a week ago, and he'd been breaking. But it had taken two weeks, just two, to completely rewire Amelié. But McCree had been so close to a major breakthrough. He'd only asked Gabriel to hold out a little while longer, and since in the grand scheme of things, he'd been holding out for _six years_ , it really just was a little while longer.

Just 7 days. Just one more week, out of the 6 years he'd managed to hold on. _Please_.

" _Gabi, I never added you to a collection, Gabi, I love-"_ Jesse's fervent declaration of his affections was cut off with a sudden, sharp pain to his middle. He had only blinked for a moment before he'd tried to confess, and like lightning, Reaper had lunged.

Shakily, not willing to believe it even as something came up his throat and made him gag, he looked down to the source of his pain.

Reapers sharp metal claws dug into his stomach, making him cough up blood- shit, shit… _shit_. Why wasn't it working? It had only been a week. "Ingrate." Reapers growled, his voice ethereal, creepy and _deadly_ and fuck, Gabriel was trying to _kill_ him.

All of this meant that…for all of his efforts, all of his attempts to help Reyes through… it meant that he was just… unable to reach him now. It meant that he'd _failed_.

Reaper hissed loudly as something made Jesse thump to the ground hard and the sharp metal feeling of claws left him entirely, as Jesse coughed up his own blood, again. Man, he just was not appreciated enough 'round these parts, was he? Was he ever? Had he ever been truly appreciated? Even the people he'd eventually placed his heart into loving had both accused him of just _collecting_.

There was Jesse on the battlefield killing people with deadeye aim, and there was Jesse around a kitchen table telling jokes, and there was Jesse sitting on a bed half naked, waitin' on a lover to give him some loving. There was the Jesse that had sat between two men whose relationship was already on its last legs, and had promised he'd never chose because he wanted them both, the Jesse that had let those two men carve out more of his heart than he'd ever imagined he'd let them have.

And then all the while there was the Jesse that sat with a bottle of bourbon alone at night, wondering where the good he'd thought this world had, had run off to. The Jesse that sat accused of only ever wanting sex. The Jesse whose long term habits of sleeping around had finally come around and bit him in the ass when apparently the two people he'd loved, and oh yes, he had loved them. Loved them hard and fast but he'd been to afraid back then to say anything.

And then he'd said something. He'd admitted it to himself and now he couldn't take back his words. He'd admitted it to himself when he'd slept with Gabriel Reyes under the illusion it was just a man in a bar after not having slept with _anyone_ in the 6 years since Zurich. He'd admitted it to himself after screaming at a broken cell phone in his hands as he realized that he'd lost everyone, everyone again.

That he'd had another empty house as Isabela Espina-Reyes died on the phone with him, when Talon had found her and killed her without impunity, her husband and child dead. And she'd died without ever hearing of the Explosion in Zurich. Jesse didn't know if that made her death more or less painful to him.

He was bleeding out, that he knew. His vision was fading but he saw Reaper come at him, before wraithing away, followed by tell tale shots from Hana and Angela's light based weapons. Breathing was hard; Reaper had obviously hurt his lungs.

And it was definitely Reaper that had done this, and not Gabriel. Not his Gabi.

And that was because Gabriel Reyes was gone, and that was because Jesse had failed him, and that was because Jesse had failed to get him before Widowmaker had.

The last thing he heard was Angela saying that she was with him, and the last thing he felt was her strangely warm tech fixing him up.

He felt as alone and hopeless as he had the night of the Reyes' family funeral all those years ago, sitting by himself in the cool night air of California, contemplating what it was about him that got everyone he'd ever loved killed. The whole Reyes family, from proud Ignacio Reyes to young Julian, who would be a bit older than Hana now, dead because of Overwatch, because they'd led Talon right to them, not unlike how Jesse McCree had led a man back to his father's house and gotten his father shot and killed. The only thing warming him that night was the hotness of the bourbon he was starting to get a taste for in him, and the tears that he refused to acknowledge running down his face.

But still, the darkness that had been circling him in enveloped him not much unlike the fog of depression or that of war. And Jesse was again, smothered.

XXXXX

"Oh! You're awake. Cool, but. Hey. Listen, you really have to _stop_ doing this near death thing." Hana complained from her spot on his cot, his words interrupting his thought process as he first tried to sit up, felt the pain in his middle, and fell back to the bed in pain, grimacing as he felt his middle throb in protest.

He blinked awake, and absently realized that damn, she was right. He really, kinda, did. But then he had to shut his eyes something wicked fast, her bright green screen irritating in the otherwise dark and empty med bay.

"Slap my ass and call me an iron woobie." Jesse croaked as he cracked his eyes open again. "The fuck happened?" He asked, blinking and trying to adjust.

"Your boyfriend stuck you like a pig, as Reinhardt called it. Angela managed to save you from bleeding out, and Pharah got him off your ass with one of her concussive blasts. When he looked like he was gonna just finish you off with one of his shotgun blasts."

"Oh. Damn." Jesse said, thinking back to the incident, before looking over to her with a small glare, squinting hard. " _Shiiiet_ , though. Turn down t'brightness of yer damn'd screen, missy." He complained without a second thought.

There was a laugh. "I _know_ guys! The cowboy's a riot all on his own."

"Are ya _fuckin'_ streamin' yer goddamn'd game on mah goddamn'd bed?" He asked, his accent brought out by the pain medication that was working wonders and his sleepiness. And it even brought out some Spanish. " _Really?_ " He asked, groaning, rubbing his eyes a bit.

"Where are you from, anyway?" Hana asked, not even rising to the accusation.

"New Mexico." Jesse eventually ground out, giving her another glare from the bed. "Close. The lights." He grumbled.

"Is New Mexico by Texas?" Hana asked, interested. "Hanzo said you were from the South. Is New Mexico by Florida? I know some Floridians speak Spanish."

" _Fuck_ , Hana." Jesse eventually resorted to whining. "New Mexico is by, you guessed, Mexico. And yes, Texas. No, not Florida. They speak an entirely different damn breed o' Spanish than my Pa and I did." He covered his eyes with his hands.

"One of my subscribers wants to know if you're from the Albuquerque area." She said, having to carefully sound out the name of the city. Jesse just laughed.

"Fuck no, I ain't no _Burqueño_." He gave in, before laughing. "Naw, I'm from the bit outside o' Santa Fe. Pa had a stretch o' land out in the middle of damn nowhere. Kinda by the Tesuque pueblo iff'n I be 'memberin' right. N' Ma was from the Navajo nation. Er, up North, close to the Arizona border. Pa told me one day he'd take me."

He lay there, musing his father's nickname for him. He was an _Angelino_ , or he'd thought he was. He paused, exhaustion wearing him thin, drawing out some sadness. Time made fools of them all.

"You lost me Jesse. The four US states I know are Texas, Florida, California, and New York." Hana admitted, before sighing. "Either way, it's like, 3:30 AM here, so I should proooobably log off. Send in questions and I'll do my best to get at least 10 answers for you guys next stream!" Hana made a cute heart symbol with her hands, before the room went dark again, and Jesse relaxed in the sudden void.

"Hana," Jesse's voice interrupted the casual silence that stretched between them in the darkness, as Hana lay down in her bed again.

"Yes, McCree?" She responded with a shit-eating grin.

"Go the _fuck_ ta _sleep_."

He didn't want to think too hard about it, but damn if he was glad he wasn't alone in the night again.

XXXXX

"You're extremely lucky, Jesse." Angela stressed as she removed the IV from his vein carefully. "You almost died there, if I hadn't been healing you the whole time, you would have. I haven't tested effects of multiple revives on the same individual, and might I just say that I would _prefer_ not do them on my best friend."

"Yes, Ang." McCree drawled, feeling the neatly healed stitches on his midsection. Somehow, the words echoed in his head. Extremely lucky. Lotsa people had told him that over the years. And yes, he supposed he was in some senses. He was a damn good shot. Lucky to live all those years on his own; lucky to have been offered a spot in Overwatch; lucky to not have been caught up in the infighting too badly; lucky to have never been caught by police for his bounty.

Jesse McCree really didn't think any of that was luck, though. He thought it was some universal cosmic joke. Someone in Heaven was laughin' their ass watching him struggle. Might be his Ma, might be Martha Reyes, might be Ana herself.

Whoever it was had a real fuckin' _mean_ sense of humor and had lost all their compassion in death. Lost their ability to remember what it was like to be human and make mistakes.

Not terribly unlike Gabriel had turned out, he supposed.

The feeling of sorrowful acknowledgement that Gabriel had _turned_ on him was like the feeling of Reapers sharp metal claws digging into his innards. " _Ingrate_." He'd growled, almost inhuman but not quite. _"You never were a good student."_

Betrayal blasted through him like his shotguns had. Like 76's pulse rifle being turned on his exposed back. Like a long sip of bourbon burning down his gullet as he sat in an empty house, vacated by everything but memories, memories that taunted him with the knowledge that he'd failed good people, not once but twice. That he'd failed to save them just like the paramedics had failed to save his Pa. With the knowledge that no matter how long he took that sip, he wouldn't actually be able to drown himself.

 _Do you want your revenge, Reyes?_ Widowmaker's voice, smooth like the silk of the spiders she emulated, cool like her icy skin, echoed around his head with the words of Gabriel telling him that he was nothing to him but a poor student.

But something about the phrase was familiar. Something about it, asking about revenge, was incredibly uncanny. Something about it left an itch in the back of his mind. Like he'd heard it before.

And that was when he realized.

Hell, he even still had the old tapes. Why hadn't he thought to check them sooner? They were even in Gibraltar, where he'd been stationed in the immediate aftermath of the 'operation.' He really wasn't a good student. If he'd been a good student, he would have fucking _remembered_ sooner. That he had the answer literally in his grasp.

"Jesse? Are you alright?" Angela asked him, seeming to notice the sudden change of his expression.

McCree didn't even answer her, leaping out of bed and ignoring all of the lethargy that had set into his limbs from being laid up in her med bay, ignoring Mercy's indignant squawk of protest,

 _You never were a good student_.

He was a black ops person. He should have reviewed the evidence sooner. He should have noticed. He'd noticed the second he'd run into Talon soldiers back on the train, that they used Blackwatch tactics. Ana's voice, telling him that the walls had eyes just before his death, the unconscious assumption that their ranks had been infiltrated that echoed in his head now, when he'd been so caught up in grief following his death he'd never spoken of it to Gabriel or Jack. Reyes and the files he'd held close to his body, not even a month before Switzerland. He and Jack had been so tired, run ragged by the leaks and by the press and by their missions and by their fights. But he'd said he had something important to talk to Jack about, the dark circles underneath his eyes.

"No, no, NO!" Jesse shouted as he thought back to how Blackwatch had seemed like it was going down the shitter, how Gabriel had turned the files he'd wanted to talk to Jack about over willingly to another member, before going back to his office. The empty look in his eyes as Jesse told him that he had to get some sleep, and had given in willingly. "Hold the goddamned phone, that can't be right!" His legs burned as Angela hounded him, the two of them passing 76 and a few others on their way up.

He reached his old locker, opening the door and panting, as he went through old paperwork he'd never finished, before taking out a single flashdrive, that had a little piece of painters tape on it with a line that said, "Blackmail."

"Jesse, what in the name of the Gods is going on?" Angela asked, absolutely bewildered, while Jesse went around the room and opened up an old computer, plugging in the flashdrive and opening up the files.

"This is Jesse McCree," His own voice was overheard as they all gathered around, "Welcome to Operation: Dinner and a Show. If I die, make sure this video is the only thing left of my legacy."

Angela looking even more confused as 76 let out a long sigh, before absolutely having to ask him, "You came up here for this?"

"Yes. I, I remembered something about it though. Towards the middle o' the damned thing, if I remember right. You see, back when I showed the files to you and Ana before Gabe took off the censor, I edited out parts of it that didn't pertain to embarrassing him for time and simplicity's sake."

He kept scrolling forward to the area right before the static, Hana letting out a snort as they watched Sylvia take Reyes down with a flower pot, the speed not letting them hear much of what was being said. However, as Sylvia ran off, and the other members picked him up, Jesse went through the sound files from the bugs he'd put on Reyes. They'd been too full of static and really useless to him back then, but he edited the audio to get it a bit clearer.

And then, he overheard it, a few minutes after that very incident where Gabriel had wound up getting a concussion.

" _Do you wish to have your revenge, Reyes?"_

The room went silent as everyone came to the same conclusion. They all had heard those words, from various people now. Jesse had mentioned Widowmaker had said it to him, just as Mei had, just as 76 had.

 _You never were a good student_. And Jesse supposed not. He had missed the answer when it had been in his face the whole time. He was black ops. He'd done spy work. He knew that you always should look under the surface of things. But he hadn't. And he'd failed Gabriel.

"This…this was taken almost 10 years ago." And 76 sounded shaken to his core.

"That's the phrase that Widowmaker, that Talon used on him to get him to be aggressive." Angela continued, horrified.

"This is what Widowmaker said to him when I was talking with him all the way back when I first _fucking_ met him again!" Jesse shouted, fists clenched as he felt so blind. "This exact line. Word for fucking word."

The truth was staring him in the face the whole time, ever since he'd brought back up Operation Dinner and a Show with Fareeha. None of them had known back then. None of them had noticed until it was too late.

Jesse just laughed absently, rubbing his temples slowly, looking like he'd been choking on something. Guilt, perhaps, or perhaps the realization he should have known all along. That he should have done something about it.

But the others were still coming to that conclusion.

"They could have used his brain injury to exacerbate the effects of any mind-altering drugs on him." Angela murmured, eyes distant as she got out her pen and pad, writing something down in German, notes of some sort.

But 76 just kept staring at the screen, which had moved on to the next part of the 'Operation', watching Gabriel as he cried, eating ice cream on screen. Like he was extraordinarily upset about something. Back then, they'd all assumed he'd just been humiliated that he'd been laid so low by a brand new recruit's flower pot, but now they knew. "Jesse…this was when he switched." 76 murmured, the red glare of his visor falling to look at his hands, rather than the screen.

Almost 10 years ago, and they'd already had Gabriel equipped with trigger words. Meaning they had no idea how long it had been going on. But this meant that by the first time the break up happened, 7 years ago, Gabriel had been in Talon's grasp for at least 3 years, likely longer. And the reason for the decline the last year, the one Jesse had formerly attributed to exhaustion…it was Talon, just working harder.

Gabriel had been deeply entrenched in Talons hand and Jesse mucked it up for a good long while longer, about a year.

Gabriel had been screwed over long before any of them had ever realized it. Long before any of them had noticed anything was wrong. And by the time they did notice, well, it was too damn late.

Though Jesse had tried to be the glue in that final year, he'd missed all the warnings before that showed him that Gabriel was already too far gone for talking alone to work. They would have had to find out Blackwatch and Overwatch were poisoned to the core. If he'd looked under this sooner, he would have noticed the build up of maggots waiting to feast on Gabriel and Sylvia and his and all of Overwatch's corpses. He'd failed to look after his own. To see Sylvia falling into suicidal depression, to see Gabriel falling into Talon's hands, failed to see the wrong in things. If he'd looked under the exterior of what he'd thought was okay, checked on Sylvia sooner, he might have had more than old bones to rattle and a cold body to open the door to.

And he'd missed all of that. However, Jesse certainly didn't miss the way that 76 looked at the screen, his body tense, his hands shaking slightly as he stared at Gabriel's face. He was probably thinking the same damn thing as Jesse.

And damn him to hell if he missed it again.

XXXXX

McCree sat with his legs crossed in a cozy conference room chair, a notebook stretched out in front of him. "Alright, so." He gestured around the table to his rag tag group of helpers. "The conference on how to make Reyes snap out of it." He announced. "Hopefully with less stripping, this time. Since, well. They got rid o' my back entrance. So we gotta go burst through the front door somehow."

"McCree, please change, the children are around." Angela said as she sipped at her espresso, the two of them having brought in Hana, Lúcio and Junkrat in, all three of them realizing who she was referring to and complaining.

" _Pssshaw_ , Angie. The youngest on our team's already seen me strip- the kids can handle my fisting shirt." Jesse disagreed.

Genji hums, tapping metallic fingers against the table in their makeshift meeting room. "Well, what implies busting through the front door? 'Cause, last I checked? He was in part rather hard to pin down due to how he can literally turn into smoke, but _mostly_ hell bent on murdering us all one by one."

"Well, that one's simple." Jesse said with a grin, leaning back in his seat, wincing a bit at the irritation of his itching, healing skin but covering it well. "We're gonna catch him like a critter."

"Uh, Jess, though I've been pretty supportive overall about your misadventures with this guy, its not like Reaper's a Pokémon." Lúcio pointed out with a raised brow.

Angela paused, humming as she rubbed her chin a bit, writing up on her smart board, in all caps, _SEDATION_. "If we sedate him we can safely capture him and ensure that he wouldn't be able to turn to mist, and once we had him in a secure environment we may be able to reverse engineer what it is that Talon has done to him.

76 snorted from his seat. "He can't be sedated."

"And how do you know that?" Angela asked, frowning. "Besides, I wasn't suggesting normal human drugs. No, with what he is now he would need something that would knock out at least some of the nanomachines that are being used to keep him alive. The issue would be would he not try and avoid being hit by such an item from me?"

"Well, the very last piece of him to turn into mist are his hands." Jesse piped up with a grin.

"How do you know that?" Hana asked, obviously baiting him, but McCree would play along with a quick eyeroll.

"... Really, you're asking me this; how the fuck do you _think_ I know?"

Angela had a big board up with all of her notes as well as various battle notes about Reaper's physiology, and she sighed. "I will begin working on something that might 'stick to his ribs' better, as McCree might phrase it." She said slowly, rubbing her temples. "The best bet we have is the fact I can perhaps make something that will interfere with the nanomachines in a non-lethal sense."

"Let's get cracking." McCree grinned, putting down his notebook and standing, hearing the kids behind him gasp in horror as they saw his booty shorts with the rhinestoned grabby hands on the butt cheeks, and Angela rub her temples as she wondered why this man was her best friend.

XXXXX

After the meeting was said and done, Jack took out his cell phone and sent off a quick text message with the photos he'd taken while in it. Thank god for having grown up with the ability to text under the table. Damn kids thought it was a joke, but here he was, blind and still texting like a pro.

" _Here are Angela's notes on Reaper. Potentially, your sleep dart could be modified to affect him from where it had no effect in Cairo. I still think we need to kill the bastard and be done with it, but make of this what you will."_

It took a bit, but there was a notification.

" _Thank you, Jack. I know you feel that way, and though I hope that you'll change your mind and allow me to keep looking into it, I am grateful you sent me this. I will look into it immediately."_ Came the response, along with the AI relaying that she had sent him a small smiley face to accompany it.

He put away his phone, and let out a deep, shuddering sigh.

McCree was making him _soft_ ; that was for sure.

Damn it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting there. Slowly. Surely. to the place called rock bottom, to Ana's appearance, and ofc other things. Blizzard pls just. Release sombra already. I'm ready. I've BEEN ready.
> 
> Will widowmaker get a redemption arc? Yes. LAter though. Much. later. One basket case at a time, please.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: well, guess whose back? Back again, with the mcreaper76 content that u want that like all of 5 people are producing regularly. Consider this chapter a Talon interlude, of sorts. Im just gonna try to not scream about how much editing im gonna have to do, so if u notice things that don't match up? Im so sorry. Blame blizz. Please.
> 
> Consider this the Interlude explaining what the fuck gabe + co are up to back w/ talon + some unnecessary hc's about how I think talon works/why they're doing it
> 
> Either way. I love all y'alls support for this, it'll be Slow work 'cause m busy in college but I mostly have stuff for chapters 19 and 20 figured out. Your reviews + comments / kudos/ bookmarks keep me goin!

 

"Ay, pobrecito." She mutters, shaking her head at where her boss lay on the floor, skull mask that he swore was more based on a barn owl than a skull.

Sombra's defense was always that it didn't really matter. After all, both were bad omens and signs of death in many parts of the world. Even though her sugar skull aesthetic was missed in the wholeness of the world, the message was carried across. And so, who cared about specifics?

"You know boss, you're not lookin' so good." She tsked, and poked him with a toe of her shoe, and he hissed at her, eyes flaring read. "Hey- walking goth tablecloth, calm down." She said, folding her arms defensively. "What's gotten into you?"

"More work." Widowmaker said snippily, glowing amber eyes watching her carefully. A warning to not press where she shouldn't, given as Widowmaker sat down on the floor with him.

Work- ah, so they'd been tinkering with his head again. No wonder he was so edgy.

Well, first off, she had to ask herself, how the fuck had she gotten to this point? With two friends, both manipulated and brainwashed and just not themselves any longer. They had been forced to give up their identities already, and Sombra had chosen to give up her own in order to follow down the rabbit hole that was their shared grave.

XXXXX

At 23 years old, with a prolific presence in the global hacking community and a wide network of those interested in her unique skill set, as well as her activity with her long-time base group, Los Muertos, Isabel had thought she'd been untouchable. Her addiction for knowledge had sent her to previously unthinkable targets.

Overwatch had quite a formidable defense system, but with time and sustained effort, she'd cracked into Watchpoint: Gibraltar's servers, and drank soda as she mindlessly perused the data files on it, while her tech downloaded all of the files in the RD section of their database. The state-of-the-art technology that Overwatch made was highly valuable and sellable on the black market, but that wasn't all she was hacking into their RD section to find.

She'd already seen the rather fantastical little device that the gorilla had made and was wondering how potentially she could alter it for her own purposes.

Sometimes, a girl's just gotta have the latest tech.

After she'd watched the download go for a sec to ensure their detection software didn't catch her, before she moved it up to the top right screen and sighed, pulling up her data set on LumériCo once more.

She always had about 10 things going at once- on one screen, her working conspiracy theory on Omnics, on another, a news report about the Overwatch leaks and the forced retirement of Reinhardt Wilhelm after the tragic death of Ana Amari, on another still, a screen watching the popularity meter of Overwatch based of an algorithm a friend of hers had helped set up to monitor things. If they got too unpopular and it looked like they were gonna shut down, she'd need to grab everything she possibly could before they erased the servers.

On her far right screen, there was a running chat log that also monitored the things her computer was downloading and interesting things picked up by another algorithm to find hidden information within the server itself.

After a few seconds of further making connections between Portero and corruption- bastard- her algorithm picked up an encrypted folder within Watchpoint: Gibraltar's servers, and she immediately pulled it up front and center. She broke it easily enough, using the same general method she used to get into Gibraltar's main security.

She pushed her LumériCo data to the right side of the main screen, and pulled up the data file she'd discovered. Something encrypted within a server? Sounds like someone had a secret- and that meant she could make a friend, potentially. A friend in a powerful organization like Overwatch would be incredibly valuable to her, in the long run, since they had access to money, resources, and the types of things that she could only read about in files she downloaded from their R&D sector.

The file name was decoded, and she tilted her head some, tapping her fingers on the desk as she pulled her feet up to sit crisscrossed, intrigued before she allowed herself to open it and read about this so called "Reaper Project."

As the file was encrypted, it was shown on her screen piece by piece.

_PROJECT UPDATE, MARCH 2069: Mission Critical Failure- Operative REAPER failed to properly enact mission protocols in Gibraltar._

_Mission Failure notes: REAPER obeyed orders to break off romantic relations with target JACK MORRISON, but unknown stimulus led to avoid following through in destruction of Gibraltar. Status of interpersonal relationship with target unknown, operative currently unresponsive to demands for answers._

_Necessary Immediate Action: files must be copied and moved over to new database or risk discovery within database by operative Reaper or non-operatives within Blackwatch. Reaper must be punished for failure in next 36 hours for maximum effect. New target base must be chosen, since Overwatch is on our tail._

_Recommended Future Course: give operative support in form of additional membership. Increase negative association exercises with reference to Overwatch members, including Target, Reinhardt Wilhelm, Torbjorn Lindholm, Angela Ziegler, Lena Oxton, "Winston", Shimada Genji, and potentially with non-operatives in Blackwatch. Official recommendation- time with non-operatives must be closely monitored- particularly with non-operative, Overwatch Loyalist, Jesse McCree._

_Personal Recommendation: allow subject time with Jesse McCree by means of reward system for good behavior. Negative conditioning can only get us so far with operatives, before they might snap and be no longer useful at all. Removing time with Jesse McCree also not recommended to begin with because of long-term relationship of close friendship. Push too hard and he might balk at that piece. If he balks at that piece, it could ruin all of our plans._

Only three of the names were those she really recognized- the first was the 'target'. Jack Morrison, Strike Commander of Overwatch, hero of the Omnic Crisis, and real life Captain America. She had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. The other two she knew for sure were Torbjorn Lindholm, world-class engineer and head of the R&D department, and Angela Ziegler, the medical prodigy and head of the Medical department.

The notes continued to go into the mission- destroying an Overwatch base with Jack Morrison inside of it, recounting why they needed to rid the world of their tyrant government that was the American-controlled Overwatch. She whistled as it mentioned the leaks of information of late- so this Reaper operative was the one who was dumping all that intelligence on the web. She'd have to send him her thanks at some point, even though it looked like his hand was being forced.

But who _was_ Reaper? That was a good question, honestly. To have been in a relationship with Jack Morrison meant he had to have been high up- but she hadn't known Jack Morrison was in a relationship. Actually, she didn't care to know more about Morrison at all. She knew the real hero of the Omnic Crisis was a man named Gabriel Reyes, and there'd been some UN conspiracy to make sure he'd not be the Strike Commander of their thinly veiled world government.

Not that Isabel really minded Overwatch all that much- in fact, it meant that business in the black market was thriving. Yeah, suppliers were getting busted left and right in all directions, but that meant those who stayed in business got to jack the prices up. She was good at profiteering off of the underground world's hatred of them. She did wonder which organization was within Overwatch to this degree that they had a plan, and she'd have to look into it more- from news, it might have been Talon, but in its 20 odd year course of existence, Overwatch had amassed plenty of enemies.

She paused, and noticed something new downloading into the information about Project Reaper.

_Alert to TALON- files in Gibraltar have been infiltrated, cyber security compromised, IP address- located. Hacker in DORADO, MEXICO. Hacker from unknown group. Seeking additional information…. LOS MUERTOS MEMBER, camera disabled, photo identification and documentation unavailable. Seeking alternative modes of identification. Disabling computer, leak needs to be contained._

_WE SEE YOU, ISABEL._

And her screen went red, and a giant eye flashed on all of her screens as the rest of the power in her set up went out entirely, making her scream as she was electrocuted through a rush of power going through her desktop set up.

And then there was nothing, except for the eye, her own computer fighting back with its own cyber security protocols by putting everything in a freeze.

She stared, before she stood, shakily, removing the small flash drive of the things she'd already pulled off the computer. The eye was frozen in time.

All of her life, she'd never been noticed. She'd been the best at what she did. But…now she was seen. She'd been caught. Her tech was outdated. Her information was vastly behind the times, if she'd just stumbled upon a nearly successful conspiracy to take down Overwatch altogether, through the Blackwatch unit, if she had to make an educated guess.

Isabel swallowed, letting her fear course through her before she licked her lips, and pocketed her flashdrive, turning from her desktop, because she'd have to sell what she could to get the money to do what she needed to.

When you were outdated, it meant that it was time for an upgrade.

The girl was gone. And Sombra was born.

XXXXX

And now here she was, with Gabriel on the floor. Widowmaker was sitting with him, as he absently rubbed at his finger with his tattoo, his mask hid his face and Sombra huffed as she looked to Widowmaker, pulling up her tech to interface with her, and connecting easily- Widowmaker was a frequent target of her "practice" for hacking humans.

Her amber eyes dimmed, and she sent a brief "hello" to the ghost of a woman that was buried beneath the persona of Widowmaker, before she set her down on the floor, and crouched next to Gabriel, lifting him up to place against the wall, and she removed the mask carefully, and her eyes looked over what was left of the man she called her friend in this friendless place.

For a moment, as she stared into his bloodied, muddied eyes, she wasn't Sombra. She was Isabel, a 4-year-old girl orphaned because her mama had told her to run along as fast as she could for help. She was Isabel and four years old and watching a speech on the one TV in Dorado that a scientist type had hooked up to run on Solar energy- inspiring her interest in technology. She was Isabel and four years old and watching Gabriel Reyes, the commander of Overwatch, speaking in Mexico City about how the Omnic Crisis was finished for them, the Omniums were shut down, and it was time to start over.

Gabriel Reyes, like the angel from the days of her youth with her mother praying for the end of the omnic crisis and for the safety of her daughter through the worst days of it.

She was once more a girl staring at her idol as he spoke in Spanish. When she had been a girl, it had been confident and his eyes were the rich, warm brown of her fathers, but now he was losing that warmth for a hollow gaze, and his Spanish was failing him.

"Please," he rasped- begged her, really. "I, I don't…I don't think I have much longer here. When I'm gone, please. Warn Jesse. Tell him to…finish the job." There was a harsh breath, and Gabriel closed his eyes some as he reached for her hand, and laid the claws on her hands. "I know he's…able to finish it off. Finish…me off."

It echoed of her mother's hand, on hers just like this, her white rosary beads that she'd gotten from her grandmother wrapped tightly around her hand, covered in blood. Her mother begging her to leave, to save herself and to let her _mama_ die because Isabel was 4 and she wouldn't be able to dig her out before the rest of the building collapsed. Begging for her to go on without her.

" _I will_." She promised in Spanish both times- to her mothers ghost and now to the ghost before her, as they closed their eyes, smiling weakly with that resigned sort of look that was also conflicting with the blood on them and the relief.

But Sombra was not Isabel, and Gabriel wouldn't be her mother, her _madre_ , whose name was lost to echoes of memory. She wasn't a 4 year old who was unable to fight and protect those few she loved and chose to keep close.

As Gabriel fell victim to the boiling red blood in his eyes and in his veins, drowning in the mess that Talon forced him to create, she stroked his hair to reassure him. She sighed as she watched him lose the fight, an extra set of eyes open and rolled up toward the ceiling, as his real eyes remained closed.

" _I can't believe you're making me go to the damn cowboy again, Gabe."_ She complained in Spanish as she sat up, tapping on her screen to release Widowmaker from her sleep mode, holding out the white owl mask to her boss, soaked with his own blood.

Not that she hadn't met him before. She'd tracked down Jesse McCree in Dorado a bit before he'd gotten the recall signal, the man had been on the trail of Soldier 76- though he was about a year behind, and therefore, was giving up and planning on going home after New Years passed. He'd been absolutely wasted, but had helped her discover the identity of Reaper, 76, and Shrike. He'd not known it, but he'd helped her piece all of the remaining puzzle pieces together. Regrettably, he probably didn't remember their conversation, and wouldn't take kindly to being told she'd taken advantage of him to find out more about the identity of the Reaper.

"Vac-quero." He echoed, Spanish stilted and uncomprehending. " _Sombra_ ," he growled in a barely registered threat. Sombra tutted disapprovingly as she stood, Reaper taking back his mask unquestioningly as Widowmaker's glowing amber eyes opened once again.

"Chill out, Gabe." She smirked, hands on her hips as Widowmaker eyed her suspiciously, seeming to know something had happened when she'd been unconscious. "You did tell me your plan- and I'll make it work."

_After all, someone has to know what they're doing when all those perfect plans wind up going down the tubes._

And Sombra did have a plan. She was going to save her friends, even though their relationship was complicated, even though both whatever remained of the woman Amélie and what was buried of Gabriel both had asked to die- she wasn't doing this out of kindness. This was selfishness.

It was about damn time she got to _be_ selfish though. Sombra would get her answers, get her freedom, and do it all while her friends were still alive, preferably.

Well, if she could count them both as "alive" to begin with. Perhaps the better way to phrase it is, no worse than when she'd found them.

Couldn't be that hard, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heh, short, but thats to hopefully speed up the release of the next chapter


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> late night update? well it is for me.

The next morning- really, around noon, given both how most of them weren't morning people and how they'd been up late- found them reading the news on Angela's personal device- intrigued by a new 'hero' on the scene. Another person inspired by Overwatch's work. Jesse felt a little proud of their ragtag group- Lucio had finished his tour recently, and now was working fulltime with them, and Hana had made a brief trip back home to go fight off the omnic monster in Korea while the rest of them made a plan to try and rid the world of it for good.

Fareeha and Satya were able to share a cup of morning tea and chat about future options for consulting, considering that Satya had left Vishkar and was on her own now, looking for new work that paid, unlike the vigilantism that they were doing on base in Gibraltar.

All in all, things were good. Jesse was vindicated, finally, of what he'd done in the name of helping Gabriel, and even though he and Lena might not be on the best of terms yet, there was a plan to go to King's Row soon, and Lena was over the moon about getting to see Emily again.

"This says this girl- Efi- is a recipient of the Adawe Foundation's Genius Grant." Angela read the holoarticle with a hum.

"Adawe, as in our Adawe?" 76 asked, pausing, seeming a bit nostalgic, looking to Reinhardt and Torbjorn for answers. McCree sat with him, similarly curious. He only got to know Adawe a bit before she stepped down from the position of Secretary General altogether, but he knew that 76 had been good friends with her- they all had been.

"Could be." Reinhardt agreed with a hum, looking at the photo of the young girl on the magazine cover. "Adawe was always incredibly passionate about providing opportunities for the betterment of our world. She always saw what we could be."

"Oh yeah! I know this girl!" Lúcio let out a happy whoop as he examined the news article. "She came to my tour when I was in Numbani. A real friendly kid- super smart too. Well, to be honest, kinda _scary_ smart. We didn't really do much, but it was nice just getting shown some of the best places in town by a local."

Torbjorn let out a guffaw. "Scary smart? Girl's a genius, undoubtedly, but that's no reason to think it's scary. The know-how isn't the same as the willingness to do evil with it. She saw the new Doomfist play patty-cake with the dumbed down robotic task force. I'm more worried about what on earth she was thinking giving a reoutfitted Idina model a new AI."

Both 76 and Reinhardt took pause at that, and McCree squeezed 76's hand, recognizing him having some sort of memory, even if he couldn't see the old fear on his face like he could on Reinhardt's because of his visor.

"The Idina model?" Tracer asked, confused. "I mean, I know it's an omnic unit that went rogue during the crisis, but so did Bastion, and one of them is on our team."

Reinhardt noticed Torbjorn making a face, and so he spoke up before Torbjorn did. "Uh, well, what my friend is trying to say is, well…" He paused again, rubbing his head.

76 continued, sighing. "They were… _designed_ to kill humans. Unlike the bastion unit, or any of the modern units like Zenyatta, the OR14 units were a revamp of the OR13, modified to be exceptionally good at killing us. They didn't leave the same type of gore and widespread destruction like Bastion models did. Because they were very efficient at tracking you down and killing you quickly."

"The private theory Ana had about why Numbani was so quick to forgive the omnics was that those who had seen what they could do, died to them." Torbjorn muttered, sipping his coffee testily.

Reinhardt nodded at that. "Yes, they were…quite notorious on an international level. We had ways of killing them, of course, but… They were quite fearsome. The second Doomfist, contrary to Ana's opinion, had survived their terror- which was why he worked so much to prevent omnic rights in Numbani."

"He went too far, though." Torbjorn admitted. "I agreed with him up until he began wholesale murder. Even smashing bots like that is considered terrorism. Even though I don't like them, and I think the people of Numbani are idiots for letting them walk around like that, blowing up buildings of humans and bots for some grand scheme to rid the world of them? It's not likely they'll ever go away, some of us have learned to cope with that and not go on sprees of destructive terrorism."

Zarya looked very interested at their story. "You all dealt with many types of omnics in your fight, yes? How did you go about taking down the Idina models, if they were so deadly?"

Hana had gone relatively quiet as well, looking down into her coffee.

Reinhardt smiled at that, grabbing some toast out of the oven, slathering on some jam. "We actually have miss Adawe herself to thank for it. She put us together because we were all known Omnic killers. Each of us had made names for ourselves in our home countries, and abroad. How much do your history books teach you?"

"The usual stuff about how Overwatch saved us from the omnic crisis, but we never really go into how you 6 were picked." Hana piped up, seeming interested.

76 scoffed. "Glad to hear the education system works as well as it always have."

"Regardless." Reinhardt interrupted, seeming eager for some storytelling. "Each of the 6 of us were legends in our home countries by the time Overwatch was put together. Gabriel and Jack were a famous tag team duo in the United States- able to send the bots for a loop. I became known in Europe after the fall of Eichenwalde- as…the last German Crusader." There was a pause, and Torbjorn put his hands on Reinhardt's in silent support.

76 continued for him, showing in his own somewhat emotionally constipated way that he stilled _cared_. "Torbjorn was already well known throughout the world, he'd made many of the units himself. What was a bigger surprise was his ability to break them down in the midst of battle, though. Liao was a hero in China, though we never got the whole story there." There was a fond chuckle of remembrance shared between them, and Reinhardt nodded at 76 in thanks for continuing for him. After a moment, 76 felt confident enough to wrap an arm around Jesse's shoulders casually, and Jesse lifted up a hand to entangle their fingers together.

"And Ana- the beautiful woman that she was, became an Internet sensation after photos of her were passed around, with an Egyptian revolutionary turned soldier sniping Omnics with a toddler on her back." Torbjorn finished. "Adawe saw the strengths and weaknesses in us all. The madwoman- because she had to have been- contacted each of the governments we were working for and with, and put together a strike team. We became the tip of the spear of any army we were placed with, someone to go in and begin causing major disruptions."

"I prefer to think of us as the first stab of a sword." Reinhardt muttered, disappointed Torbjorn got to take away that part of his story. "But, indeed, Adawe put us together, as the secretary general, and she would continue to vouch for us and with us before and after the crisis, up until her retirement from the world of politics…goodness, around 12 years ago now. How times change." There was a long pause, and Hana and Zarya were clearly still waiting for an answer on how they had defeated the model. Reinhardt continued with a cough. "Well, I couldn't give away all our secrets. Maybe with time, and practice you can learn some of the same methodology, bestowed upon us by Gabrielle Adawe herself- I couldn't possibly," But then 76 spoke up in the middle of his spiel.

"Have you kids ever seen the old Star Wars movies?" He asked, loudly, pointedly interrupting him.

All eyes turned on him. Even Torbjorn and Reinhardt seemed somewhat surprised. 76 almost faltered, but Jesse quickly smiled at him to let him know that it wasn't a bad type of surprise. He'd heard this story before- he knew that 76 was about to link himself and Jack Morrison undeniably together.

"Yeah, but the graphics are kinda really outdated." Hana admitted, prompting him to finish.

"Adawe was a huge fan of them." He admitted after a moment. "She was 43 when the strike team was composed, she'd seen the third trilogy when it came out in theaters. She was…a giant nerd." There were a couple of shared laughs from those who knew her. "There's a seen in the first trilogy, where one of the heroes wraps a giant cord around their feet to knock them over." 76 went quiet after the explanation. "It was her idea, and it worked…probably too well."

Zarya looked only vaguely disappointed at the lack of a real secret to it, but Hana brightened up. "Is that why Ana has a whip in that one photo of her and you all in action? From that news reel that revealed your existence to the world?"

Reinhardt nodded, pleased that she had put it together even if 76 had taken some of the fun out of it. "Indeed, but anyways- I share some of Torbjörn's sentiment. Those bots in particular made us all uneasy when Numbani announced they were going to retrofit them without the AI that made omnics…omnics. Let alone now that an 11 year old- I'm not belittling her age, she's just so young that the world had already rebuilt significantly after the crisis- has installed a brand new AI unit into her."

McCree just shrugged. "S' a very _Reyes_ thing to do in my humble opinion. Take the thing doing all the killing and turn it around so that it's pointing at something you're good with it killing."

Torbjorn, Reinhardt and 76 took another pause at that. "Yes, but Jesse, these things are a real danger to society. Many of them had access to the codes for releasing nuclear missiles, a couple of the god programs almost deployed those methods." Torbjorn pointed out.

Jesse just gave them a lopsided smile. "Well. I reckon if your definition of real danger to society was 'knowledge of how to deploy and/or create nukes,' then I definitely shouldn't be on this team."

He pat 76's hand with his own, and stood up, grabbing a cigar from his pocket at the room went dead silent. He waltzed out, just starting to hear the cries of, "You can't say that and then walk away," and, "How the fuck did you learn that information," and also, "What the fuck did you need to know _that_ for?"

The last question, that made him almost drop his cigar was, "Can you teach me?"

Jesse shook his head as he grabbed his wallet off the countertop, chuckling as Angela gave him a silent death glare for smoking indoors, as he said he was going out to get some more coffee.

XXXXX

To be fair, Jesse had gotten the coffee grinds, and they were in the sack of his motorcycle from the bowels of Gibraltar, but he'd really gone out to get some drinking done, mulling over everything.

They'd all spoken of Adawe like she was dead, and he supposed she very well could be. 43 years old at the start of the crisis, places her at around 73 now. It's not an impossible age to reach, but it was also likely she'd be a target for Talon violence. For all he knew it was just a final end to the push that created Overwatch in the form of a neatly placed bullet between the eyes of an old woman.

The person who saw what they could be- 6 disparate people with radically different histories, talents and beliefs, and she'd turned them into a unit that would go on to change the world.

And now the foundation likely in her name, gave an 11-year-old girl grant money, and the girl spent it trying to build a hero in the absence of the greatest legacy of Adawe. Some things never change- trying to celebrate the achievements of the great after they were gone was something that many had done, until their names were made into such caricatures of themselves, were tarnished, or forgotten.  

Or in order, Jack Morrison, Gabriel Reyes, and Ana Amari.

Jesse swirled around some bourbon in his glass, and he sighed. So much for kicking his habit now that he was a bona-fide member of the team again, it seemed. And the morning had been going so well.

"Wait a second- no. I'm not doing that shit again." Came a strangely familiar voice, who forced him to set down his glass before he downed it.

She looked about as at home in Gibraltar as McCree himself did, with hair that had purple tips and a partially shaved head, not to mention the clear cyberpunk vibe to the rest of her outfit.

"Do I know you?" He asked, raising his eyebrows in clear confusion and suspicion at this chick that looked to be having her punk phase late in life.

Sombra wasn't having this today, and she let out a harsh puff through her nose in irritation. She'd traveled a long ass way to get here, and fuck if she was going to let him get wasted before she relayed her message to him.

Because, again, she _does_ think of Reaper as her friend, and it is a favor that he asked personally of her- though he wanted her to tell Jesse to kill him, and she was somehow _against_ that happening to him. But that was her friend, dammit, and this is his boyfriend, and she had to get Jesse in the right spot to help him get out and not die.

"McCree!" She cut to the chase, smirking. "Pleasure to meet you, officially."

Jesse really wasn't in the mood for this. "Who are you?" He asked lowly, eyes narrowing as he set down his glass, spilt by her actions.

Another huff, and she crossed her arms in subtle irritation. "A friend called a favor in; you know, it's always been my catchphrase, of sorts, that with enough time and research, everything and everyone can be hacked. But you know, somehow I never thought I'd get to see that taken so literally." She explained, trying to get him to pick up on the subtle hint.

As per usual, the rest of the world let her down. "What do you mean by that- and what friend?" He still clearly was suspicious of her, and so she rolled her eyes before giving up her game.

"Your boyfriend says hi, McCree, and he's been a bit worse for wear right now, wouldn't you agree?" She asked, tilting her head as she watches him connect the dots she had to neatly line up for him.

Jesse's eyes widen some. "...He is. But what do you know about him," he asked, something akin to suspicion and thinly veiled worry.

Sombra bowed quickly, grinning now that he'd picked up on it. "I'm his coworker, and unfortunately, company policy dictates I shouldn't be hacking into our private servers- otherwise I could give you an exact date or frame of time- but I can say, without a doubt, that he's running out of time, McCree. Also unfortunately, I happen to like him, and so care about him staying alive. I know, human weakness in action," She tuts in theatrical displeasure.

McCree has to pause and take that all in. "Unfortunately?" He points out her last couple of statements first. "It's, it's not a bad thing to care about people." He stammered a bit, before shaking his head and cutting to the chase again, eyes hard on her. "Why is Gabriel running out of time?"

She rolled her eyes again, and ordered something off the menu in Spanish, and the bartender gave her a strange look at the accent. McCree and his bilingual ass was way too lazy to make the translation, having been around exclusively English speakers all day.

She waited for him to walk away, before smirking again. "Let's think this through- right now, you're supposed to be dead. He's failed to kill you, failed to kill Morrison, kill Winston, and kill any variety of Overwatch members that are all still alive and well. And then he's failed to get the gauntlet, failed to get the list of agents- those failures are starting to stack up, wouldn't you agree?" She handed McCree a glass of bourbon back. "And what do you think Talon does to _failures_?"

A long silence stretched. He'd known they'd been actively thwarting Talon, but he'd never really stopped to think about what they were doing to Gabe. "…I presume they ain't treatin' him kindly," He admitted, gruffly, fear gripping onto his heart at the thought of them killing Gabe before he was able to get the answers he'd promised Gabe that they would find- together.

"Well, _duh_ ," an unimpressed scoff came unbidden from her, and Jesse's guilt and worry were twisted into some mild annoyance. "Otherwise I would've just left him to his fate. But I'm here, talking to you." She pointed out, taking her drink as the bartender came back over eagerly.

"That you are ma'am," He allowed, getting a confused face as she mouthed the word ' _ma'am_ ,' but choosing to ignore it ultimately. "But you said you came by because Gabriel asked you to- he wouldn't have come by without a message or somethin'. So why'd he send you to me?"

Sombra paused, seeming to recognize she'd not really gone through why Gabe had really sent her. And then she chuckles. "Well, first off- he asked this of me _before_ his latest reworking as a last resort, in case they made him forget you completely. He really wasn't looking too good, you know."

"Reworking?" He interjected, disbelieving she was going into such details so casually, his eyes going huge.

She bit her lip, humming some. "Well, think of it as a patch. Talon found a glitch where he was thinking too freely on issues relating to you, you lucky sunvagun. But, they don't want that. So they've been tweaking him."

Jesse felt sick, mulling all that information over. "So, they're trying to remove me from his memories?" He clarified, and his stomach sank even further at her chuckle.

"Cute theory, but ultimately incredibly wrong." She shook her head, amused. "It's hard to make someone forget everything. Their unfeeling terrorist has love for you; they gotta fix that like they did with how he felt about Jack. While completely erasing important memories is a tough process…editing them, manipulating them? Well, the human brain does that already. Its just a matter of finding the correct button to press and would you look at that, no more gas station sex sessions."

"They obviously aren't working fast, if he was able to send you." He said, trying to find something hopeful to hold onto.

She nodded, agreeing with that. "Even _editing_ certain memories takes time- it'd really would be easier if it was a full reset. But they _like_ most of his programming- so what do they do? If they don't wanna just wipe the slate clean, they have to sift through the things he feels for you, and shift it all to hatred, individually, carefully- make mistakes and he'll have a breakdown and be completely unable to function."

He swallowed at all that. "So, what can we do from having them…rework him?" He asked, still balking at the nonplussed, casual way she was speaking about horrifically well they were working on completely changing who Gabriel was.

Another snort, and this time fear rose up instead of anger or irritation. "Well, too late to prevent it," She pointed out with a shrug. "You saw the fruits of their labor yourself, recently. Which is why I'm interested in why you're drinking hard liquor already. I'm sure your doctor friend wouldn't like that much at all." She raised an eyebrow critically with a lopsided grin.

Jesse took in a deep breath, something not quite unlike panic starting to settle in at the thought that he was already too late. But Sombra didn't seem to be done talking, just yet. She tapped his nose, and made him look up again.

"That's why he sent me as a last resort, hey McCree? It was a post mortem plea, his way of calling it quits with Talon, and turning to the enemy and his boyfriend and saying to hey, get him out, please. That's what he basically asked, if Talon really did try and do him like that." She explained, and Jesse blinked again at how _casually_ she would just go and air out some of the most morally grey shit he'd ever heard in his _life_.

She really had gone out of her way to talk in circles around that, he thinks absently, before he nods in agreement. "You got one thing right by coming to me- I certainly don't want him to be disposed of if Talon's decided he's not worth the effort."

"Great!" She put her hands together in front of her, before tilting them forward, and taking her drink- a margarita- off the bar. "Looks like we're on the same page then."

He squinted at that. "Well, really we were never on _different_ pages about this, but ok. So how do I get him to snap out of it so we can take on Talon together?"

Sombra shrugged, sipping her drink. "Fuck if I know, that's _waaaay_ out of _my_ friendship tier."

He has to take another moment, to rub at his temples because 1- she'd spilled his drink, which was a party foul from the start, 2- had dropped some of the worst confirmations she possibly could have and _added_ to the shitstorm by saying they might just kill him, and then 3- had no solutions to the issue, apparently. "Fuck. Then what the hell am I supposed to do then! Our plan involves knocking him out, but it'll take a lot of things we don't have just to subdue him. And if there isn't a quick fix anymore then I'll have to get him to Mercy if we want him alive. And we're working on what she can do, but we don't have a bunch of ideas just yet."

Sombra hummed, clearly already having an answer in mind but leaving him in suspense. "I mean, if you knock him upside the head- that could help you catch him. Just get the big guy with the hammer to do it- Thwack!" She acted it out, rather bemused with the idea. "I'd pay good money to see it, if I were you, I'd even sell tickets. Watch this edgy 50 something year old get his lights knocked out! Sounds like a clickbait article or something. But, consider it payment for me having to come out of my way in order to get him to you, and also a way to subdue him so you can fix him."

"I'm _not_ hitting him with a hammer, and aren't you his friend?" He accused, stunned by the very suggestion.

She looked offended at that. "Of _course_ I'm his friend. The only reason you'll ever have to hit him with a hammer is because I'm asking you to hit him. And honestly- to catch him, you'll have to knock him out and a punch won't work because it won't be enough. Plus I'm not saying you do it. I'm saying get the big guy to do it."

Jesse shook his head, absolutely bewildered by her statements. She was an enigma, but not in the way she was going for. Not at all "I mean, I'd figured a punch wouldn't knock him out but there are other ways than just using brute force, right?"

She pursed her lips out before shrugging, hands going out to the side in a way that said 'I can't help you.' "Not really."

He closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples, making a frustrated noise. "Look, I was hoping I wouldn't have to get into a physical confrontation with him."

She looked up, squinting at him as she processed that. "You realize that he's shot you McCree. We're _well_ past any stage where we can avoid physical confrontation."

Jesse lets out a sigh at the reminder, rubbing his neck somewhat nervously. "You make a good point, that's true- but wouldn't it be better for Gabe and I's future, mind you, if I kept things _somewhat_ fair?"

Sombra turned around and looked at him with a Cheshire cat grin plastered across her face, her eyes gleaming with her plans. "Now where's the fun in _that_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter is the end of arc 2. i like how I've basically been introducing the new characters in reverse of how they actually released tbh. 
> 
> Ana's in next chapter. brace yourselves.
> 
> thank you to all who review this!!! and leave wonderful kudos / bookmarks. y'all are legit teh reason i keep coming back. that + ppl on tumblr who say oh ya i like this fic!!
> 
> Also. iffin you're itchin for some good mcreaper76... go bug sam to finish the freeway leads to the grave and prod me about doing some oneshot porny bits. also i uploaded some sorta weird pseudo fairytale mcreaper76 fic, in case ur curious about things that arent this weird mishmass of writing that has a plot even though there are bits that are just. crack.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well hello everyone !!! bet you thought you'd seen the last of me???
> 
> Chapter 20 everyone, after what, 6 months of no updates?? thanks for being so patient with me!!! We're now at 90k!!!! (go me!!)
> 
> uh, Big chapter warning tho: electrocution, Mutilation, and mentions of torture that caused it.
> 
> (a small plug, im also writing a v differently toned/themed mcreaper story right now, if somethnig more canonical is your thing, bc at this point......returning to canon is practically impossible. and admitting that to myself has allowed me to continue writing this!)
> 
> But regardless!! please enjoy!

"So what, exactly, is your plan?" Jesse asked Sombra from their new base that they'd built on the fuckin' fly, to which he received the most mischievous looking grin he thought she could manage.

"If you thought I was kidding, you were very much incorrect." Sombra said primly as she filed her nails, waiting with the strike team in a now abandoned alleyway in the middle of the damn night in King's Row, for Reaper, with his tactical team, to come chasing after Sombra's comm. "Talon's mooks come after me, Widow and Reaper included as per usual, and we take Reaper from under their noses." She mimicked a baseball bat. "Bam! He won't even know what hit him."

"Ah, right on schedule- you're always so good for that!" She exclaimed gleefully, looking to the team, as they tentatively took their positions. "How are  _you_ , Gabe?"

They didn't get an answer as he pulled his twin shotguns out from the black abyss of his coat, walking forward slowly, steadily, Sombra standing still, giving a sly smile to Reinhardt, and then McCree, as Reaper passed the wall where they were hidden from his view.

Before he managed to take another step closer to Sombra, Reinhardt whacked him on the head with his giant hammer, and he careened forwards, a giant thunk echoing in the empty hall. A small noise of pain escaped his limp, prone form.

And they all stood there for a moment, silent, and unsure of what the hell to do.

"WIPEOUT." Sombra cheered, absolutely delighted to see it. Lets be clear here- Gabriel was one of her only friends. But her definition of friendship was fast and loose and she was very accustomed to thinly veiled death threats from Widowmaker and Gabriel's typical, edgy behavior.

"Reinhardt, I'm sure you gave him a concussion." Zarya said, dumbfounded, having been dragged along mostly because she wanted this part of their mission done as soon as they could manage, given that it was preventing them from moving forward with all sorts of other goals. Partly because Sombra had threatened her boss, Katya Volskaya, and she wanted to ensure that Sombra wasn't going to leak anything to Overwatch.

"Would that really be the worst thing to happen to him?" 76 asked, disgrunted, rubbing his mask quietly.

Things stayed in that standstill, because none of them really knew what to do. They'd thought it would take more than that- than Reinhardt hitting him upside the head. Jesse included, who just stood there, baffled that Sombra's brutish method for such a stealth-centered person had definitely just worked.

It sort of felt like a preemptive victory- and that feeling was justified as there suddenly was another  _thunk_  along with a  _clatter_ from behind 76.

Two things were suddenly very obvious- one, the talon grunt with the knife that had snuck behind him and had been prepared to stab 76, and two…

Ana Amari, one hand on her hip and the other one stuffing away a sidearm into its holster. "What are you thinking?" She asked them all, voice subtly irritated, as shock was the prevalent emotion in the alley, before it all broke out to hell when she softened her expression at them. "…Good to see you all as well."

That was when all hell broke loose. Reinhardt and McCree both gasped in complete surprise, the reveal throwing them both for a loop. Tracer and Fareeha were relieved to see a familiar face in the chaos, Zarya carefully hid shock from her expression as she mentally noted she would have to report this in. And 76…well, he was wearing his mask. But he was definitely a little smug. He contributed something to this, after all, even if he didn't get a chance to fuck up Reyes. There would be more opportunities in the future.

Fareeha  _had_  wondered if 76 had told Jesse that Ana was alive. Then again, 76 was extremely emotionally constipated, and despite it all, had somehow also thought Jesse was working for Talon. Jesse was like an elder brother to her, with how he'd acted around her as a child, even though he'd disappeared for several years.

Jesse definitely  _hadn't_  been told by anyone, hence why he started crying the moment he saw. "What the fuck! What the absolute fucking hell! What in the Fucking UP!"

"Ana! How could this be, I,  _we_  thought you were dead," He asked, correcting himself part way through.

"Most people didn't now." Ana murmured, and eyes suddenly shot around the group.

Fareeha was quick to oust herself. "I thought 76 would have said something. They were working together. Or, that Tracer or Winston would have mentioned it. I joined later- and they sought out her and 76's help before I ever got into the picture."

Sombra shrugged nonchalantly. "Like, I was here next to last, and frankly I had no idea you didn't know."

76 didn't look at any of them, instead choosing to take the mook away from where he laid on the floor.

Ana bent down, over Gabriel, and she gently felt the mask. She picked him up off the ground. "Well isn't this familiar?" She asked somewhat jokingly, before handing him to Jesse.

Jesse took Gabriel from her arms, still flabbergasted at her sudden appearance, and return from the dead.

When no one else asked her more questions, Ana sighed, and looked down- she knew, coming back after 76 would be difficult, but she had underestimated just how difficult.

"It's a very long story- one we don't have time for right now. I'll have to beat up a few people later for not telling you. I'm sorry for not telling you myself." She said. "I'm sorry Reinhardt. After everything that had happened, I needed time. But I'm back now. And we have company."

"You didn't tell me either," Jesse argued, hurt, but trying to cover it up. "You told 76 and not me. Frankly, that's a lil hurtful, but… I'll prolly forgive ya if you cook tonight. Please." He tried to turn the mood upwards, not wanting them to fight on such…a down note, considering that he could hear the helicopters coming for them.

"Actually, he tracked me down in Egypt around when I first returned to the field." Ana informed him, her voice softening as she continued with a very short explanation, tapping her eye patch. "I was…well, shot in this eye. The bullet was mostly stopped, but it did lodge in my brain. Caused me a fair amount of trouble for a number of years, and by the time I could control my hands enough to write again, I could only write to my daughter. It was after Overwatch's fall, and around…recall, I suppose, Tracer and Winston tracked me down."

"I'm well acquainted with bullets being stuck in places they shouldn't be," Jesse shot back, still hurt- but they had more pressing matters to deal with. "Regardless. It's good to have you back, Ana. It's good to see you're alive and well. Lord knows we need your eyes on us, less we wanna get into more trouble."

"No kidding." She admitted with a snort, before narrowing her eyes and quickly pointing toward the roof. "Up there- Widowmaker." She suddenly shoved him and Gabriel out of the way, but it looked like she was shooting at Gabriel, not Jesse- the bullet flying to where his head had been moments before.

Now pressed into the side of an alleyway trashcan and the wall, still holding Gabe in his arms, he looked back at Ana, "You gonna be alright while I get em somewhere else? I can come back if you need," he said urgently, trying to hurry to make sure Widowmaker didn't get a clear view of Gabriel again.

She rolled her eyes some. "I will be just fine, Jesse." She informed him, before going out into the fight again. "And I will see you back at base! We'll talk then!"

Jesse gave a quick nod at where she vanished off to, before he also ran out, trying to get out of the fray without being seen by any Talon agents- and without Widowmaker following him. It was difficult, especially because they were pretty much around every corner, but he managed- only to have resistance come from Gabe himself.

Gabriel sluggishly pushed him away, opening his eyes and squirming and made dizzy by being forced to run, and he became even more dead weight in order to wiggle his way out of Jesse's hold, before he sank to the floor, down on his knees. With the mask on, it was impossible to see the look on his face that said he had no idea what was going on, or the fear making him hyperventilate because he couldn't stand up and his arms didn't reach what he thought they would as he tried to support himself against a wall 4 feet away and fell forward in the process, eventually just balling into the fetal position and covering the sides of his mask with his hands, trying in vain to pull it off.

And then he let out an unholy scream while his whole body was charged with electricity, scratching at his mask helplessly, unable to take it off even as it punished him.

Jesse immediately dropped to his knees to help Gabe, soothing him to the best of his abilities. "Gabi, what's wrong? It's me, Jesse," he murmured softly, hesitant and unsure if he could touch Gabe. It didn't seem like he could, not with the way Gabe was convulsing, and he couldn't carry Gabe back until either Ana or Angela showed up. So instead he had his gun out in case any agents snuck up on them, and waited until Gabe looked up enough. "I've gotcha," he said mostly to himself, going to take off the mask.

Except he pulled, and pulled… and was now fairly sure it wasn't going to come off. Moments later, he noticed two silver bolts and fresh scratch marks on it that weren't there weeks before, which meant that Talon had bolted it to him, and Jesse was going to hurl. "Oh my God," he uttered in horror, as he pulled his hands back as fast as possible, almost like the mask burned him.

Gabriel's chest heaved, and his eyes were white behind the mask- they'd rolled up into his head. He couldn't even formulate words because his head felt fried and his mouth was full of drool, jerking away from Jesse because of fear and he didn't understand but he knows that he's hurting because he's with this man and he just wanted it to  _stop_  and he scratched at the mask again, before he howled in pain and his body began convulsing again.

It stopped and Gabriel sobbed, the sound low and pitiful as he attempted to make himself small and nonthreatening, his body jerking to meet his commands but still occasionally spasming. The mask was bolted to him, and was able to electrocute him somehow.

Jesse stared in shock, covering his mouth at aftermath of the seizure. From the looks of it, trying to get the mask off only hurt him more, and Jesse wasn't sure how to go about this. Could he figure out the wiring and cut it so it wouldn't hurt him? No, no it would be too risky- Gabe seemed volatile right now and if that were tried, it was possible both of them could pass out from electrocution, if they weren't just killed outright.

Jesse thought for a moment, before placing a gentle hand on Gabe's arm, trying to not hurt him. "Gabi, if you let me carry you out, we can get the mask off without it shocking you," he says, unsure if Gabe would even respond.

He tensed beneath Jesse's hand, the words from the man garbled, but the touch wasn't threatening, and as soon as he heard the words "Mask off" he was nodding fervently. Get it off get it off get it off get it off were the only things going through his mind.

He didn't- couldn't- respond otherwise, the world spinning around him, as soon as he was sitting upright again his head tilted to one side, as he was unable to keep it up, and he threatened to fall over, still trembling. He was afraid, he was hurting in so many ways, nothing made sense, who was this man, who was he? His panic wound up being the final blow to his consciousness as he passed out from hyperventilating.

Jesse did his best not to panic when Gabe passed out, because, no, he'd been on much more dangerous missions and dealt with worse in his day, but the feeling of dread was starting to set in. Jesse hoisted Gabe back up, all dead weight and yet still much, much lighter than he remembered Gabe ever being, and began running again, cursing his drinking habits, trying to take as many back routes as he could in order to avoid running into any potential interlopers.

He had to find Angela; Angela would know what to do.

Once he came on to the group again, he let out a sigh of relief, looking at everyone with a passed out Reaper in his arms. "Uh. Found him."

It's only a handful of people, all somewhat afraid to come close and Jesse was too focused on Gabe to even pay attention to them- but Angela could see the panic in McCree's face, and rushed forward. This was going according to plan- they had Reaper. "What happened?" She asked as she took him from Jesse, laying him down on a gurney and gesturing for McCree to help her carry him out of there. "What's wrong, Jesse?"

"The mask is bolted to his face," Jesse said, helping Angela by carrying him. "I think it's hurting him every time he goes to touch it. I'm not sure, he passed out though because he was hyperventilating so much, and convulsing a lot," Jesse tried to recount the past few minutes off to the doctor without sounding too scrambled himself. "He was real terrified, Doc. Please."

Her face went pale at mentioning it was bolted to him, since she can see the bolts and where they were, they were probably drilled straight through his skull and maybe into his cranial cavity. "It's okay, Jesse." She soothed him, since someone had to be calm here.

They finally made it back to their transport, and the three of them left the battlefield in the car, setting Gabriel down carefully into the back of it, letting one of the others drive them away. She took out her equipment, and pulled back Gabriel's Reaper gear to get at the mask best without touching it directly. "That's a lot of wires." She murmured, looking at the underside of the clothes where she'd pulled them slightly away from his skin, "If we can break the circuit, I can remove it without fear of hurting him any more than we have to." She put on thick rubber gloves, and had Jesse do the same to help her.

Jesse worked on slipping to gloves on, feeling a little ill at the reality of the entire situation. Was this some sort of punishment? Probably. But now wasn't the time to panic and overthink, he had to work on making sure the mask was off. That all could come later, he thought, rather self-deprecatingly.

"What do you need me to do?" Jesse asked, looking at Angela expectantly. "I can help cut the wires no problem, but I'm not sure about the bolting."

"The bolts are hooked up to the wires somewhere in the mask." She explained. "I don't know where the device is that is sending electrical signals through the wires, but it won't electrocute him any more if we break the circuit, and then I can remove the bolts." She paused. "Jesse, see if you can find anything that looks like a battery pack on him. That might be the best way. It'll be big, to actually do harm to him, but they couldn't have hidden the source of the electricity behind the mask."

She still carefully examined the man's mask, noting the metal wiring that attached the metal sides of the mask that went into his jaw. Could he speak like this? None of them as far as she knew had heard Gabriel speak at all today.

"I'm sure it's probably underneath one of these shells," Jesse murmured, looking through them. That seemed most logical, at least, as he began checking any for wires. Maybe they would put it closer to his head? No, they may have attached the wires to his coat, but eventually he found the battery pack on one of the shells.

"Found it," he told Angela, pointing to red tape wrapped around a battery, easily able to disguise it, except for the wires coming out.

"Cut the wires from the pack." She instructed, working on getting him out of his coat, already having removed the gloves grimacing at the macabre spectacle that was Reaper. The wires running through the mask went under his coat, and it was easy to see how they placed the ends in his skin once it was removed. This was a punishment; there were no doubts there now. Reaper's ability to maintain himself had outlived its use, and Reaper himself was a liability to talon given that he had held onto some parts of himself for so long. It was clear that it didn't matter to them if he survived this or didn't.

Jesse followed Angela's instruction, cutting the wires from the pack and separating the wires from their source. He could see the ends of the wires in his skin, and Angela looked vaguely horrified, which said something because Angela has seen a lot of horrifying things in her career. In her life, even. "Jesus," he murmured, looking Gabe up and down. Talon had really fucked with the man, mentally and physically, he wasn't sure how Reaper held out this long.

Once they were removed, Angela started to pull out the wires embedded in his skin, putting bandages over the holes that began to bleed out black. Gabriel had started to stir and attempted to speak, but it was nonsensical and hard to understand, like he was talking with mush in his mouth. Until Angela started to remove the hard metal wiring from the left side of the mask, cutting it and then pulling out long, bloodied pieces, using a laser to get through the metal on the sides of his face and be able to place gauze over where the metal had been attached to his jaw. But now that part of the bottom half of his mask was gone, they could see how his jaw still hung open- attached on one side still, and he drooled, his breathing coming slightly easier.

Angela met Jesse's gaze, and gave him a worried look. She wasn't sure that he had after this new development. This was all new, Jesse knew. It had to have come from after he'd gone back to them. He was still speaking in Volskaya. It was from within the last few weeks then. This was a punishment- for not killing Overwatch, for letting them break down his conditioning. For letting Jesse in, all over again, and it made Jesse sick to think that he'd helped Gabriel get to this point.

Jesse made do by helping Angela bandage Gabe up. He gave a worried look to the man, he looked pitiful and in so much pain. Jesse thought back to how Gabe used to look threatening, the way he loomed over enemies when he was truly in a battle, the way he looked fighting 76 not too long ago, and now here, where he looked hollowed out and… Dead. Of course Gabe had looked vaguely dead before, but him being unable to move much of his body meant that this time, he looked a bit more like a corpse than usual.

When Angela gave the worried look, Jesse sighed. "What else is left?" He asked, not wanting to look put out. Because he wasn't, Jesse wanted to help Angela to the best of his abilities. "I can help."

She handed him the laser cutter. "Cut the other side away, so I can start stitching up things. The gauze pads are right beside you, sterilize any open wounds." She murmured, getting out an anesthetic for Gabriel, topical and an injection that she put in his neck. She was sterilizing the first side of his face, wiping away drool and blood, gently stitching up holes that were too big to just bandage, applying the topical as needed.

"I have to remove the bolts to get it off. But I…I think to do this much damage to him, they have to be…through his skull. He'll be able to regenerate it, I think… But I don't know. If he starts struggling, try to hold him still." And then she took out a screwdriver, looking well and truly disgusted with herself. "I'm so sorry, Gabriel, I'll do this fast as I can, I promise."

Jesse went to work doing as Angela told him, cutting off the wires. The length of the wires and how much blood they were coated in set him off a little. Jesse was despising Talon more and more with each wire, and each wound he had to disinfect and put gauze on. When Angela pulled out the screwdriver, Jesse nodded.

Gabriel still screamed when it started, thrashing so she had to stop, not willing to hurt him accidentally.

"I think if ya work fast, it'll go about as smooth as it possibly can," Jesse replied, Gabe's thrashing making his heart ache for him. Angela looked spooked when she had to stop, and Jesse held Gabe down, and tried to have calm voice, one that Gabe could still somewhat recognize.

"It's okay, Gabriel, I'm here," he murmured, keeping Gabe pinned. "I've got him, Doc."

Angela nodded, biting her lip, but she went back to work with the screwdriver, and took the first one out, blood and bits of bone coming with it. Gabriel was sobbing, but Angela was able to turn the mask around, and let Gabriel actually see them now.

He was crying, but he seemed to notice that the weight was gone, and that Angela was actually removing it. So he quit thrashing as much, still jerking as it hurt it hurt, but he was able to understand it was coming off. The pain was to get it off.

His reddish brown eyes locked onto Jesse, his breathing hitching as he was finally able to close his mouth and swallow. "J-J…" he tried, voice cracking. "Angelino?" He was finally able to say, jerking as the blonde woman kept unscrewing the mask. "Angelino?" He grabbed him tight, eyes a bit glassy, unfocused. That name was important. They kept saying Gabriel. Who was Gabriel? Was that him? His head pounded, and he gasped, gripping the man tighter.

Jesse did his best not to wince as Gabe grabbed him, nodding at Angelino. "Yes, Angelino," he said, reaching with one hand for something to dab away some of the blood from his forehead. "You're safe. She's just taking off your mask. It won't hurt you, Talon isn't gonna hurt you now," he said, letting up on his grip a little, since Gabe wasn't thrashing around as much. He still had to keep him still, though, for Angela to finish up. "How much longer, Angela?" he asked, looking at her, eyes focused on the task at hand.

Gabriel blinked at that, a final sob being choked from his throat as the blonde- Angela- finished.

"Just…Just a bit, more…got it." And the bolt came out, and the mask was thrown to the side as Angela covered the two wounds with gauze, dabbing away at blood, before sterilizing them, and stitching the holes. "Got it." She murmured, finally able to see Gabriel's face, and she took in a deep breath. "That's enough for today." She mumbled, putting some bandages on top of fresh gauze. "It's off."

The pain had finally dulled away and stopped, no more harsh seizing at being electrocuted, and the headache was gone. His jaw ached, but he could close it. His eyes roamed the back of the car where the three of them were, settling occasionally on Jesse and Angela, but there wasn't any additional response.

Gabriel's heart was still pounding, but as it calmed down with the car's general atmosphere, so did he. His eyes lulled halfway shut, and he stopped moving, going limp, able to finally rest.

And so he did, his world going grey, then black, around him.

XXXXX

Jesse pulled Gabe up to hold him properly, letting the man fall asleep. He was exhausted himself, the adrenaline rush finally leaving his system now that they had removed the mask. He leaned against Angela slightly, relaxing as Gabe fell asleep. "Thank you, Angie," he murmured. "You're a miracle worker, I'm convinced," he half joked, sighing at the exhaustion. That was hectic, and he was sure he had bruises from where Gabe was gripping him, but he just hummed as everything calmed down.

Angela pointed bruises out on his forearm. "76 won't be happy with them." She tsked, before she sighed, relaxing as her new patient fell asleep, seeming like he'd not gotten proper rest in weeks- and that might have been the case. The mask was still on the floor of the backseat, reeking of punishment and barbarism. She shivered.

Gabriel was treated like an animal on both sides. They were about to put him in a cage, for the gods sake. On the one hand, she knew that it was a necessary precaution, on the other… he was so tired, already at his limit. But Talon didn't care if Gabriel died- they wanted him to take down Overwatch with him. So they had to keep him in that cage.

"76 ain't gonna be happy about a lot right now," Jesse sighed, following Angela's gaze to the mask. It made him sick, thinking about how much Gabe may have screamed during that torture. "You can rest, too, you know. I've got 'em." he looked at Angela, tired eyes and lost in complete thought. Jesse was worried about Gabe's reaction when he'd wake up and be in a cage, but he understood the precaution. He was worried also, how everyone else would react, how Gabe would react to everyone, whether this was really a safe idea. Probably not. But neither was travelling with everyone and breaking international law established by the UN. Jesse snorted at the thought of being persecuted from nearly every country.

"We don't know how he's going to act." She murmured, putting the leather coat back on top of him. "Let's get back to base. He'll need to go into the box now that.." She felt sick just saying it. "Now what what was hindering him is mostly gone."

"He didn't look like he knew us." She murmured, leaning against the back seat. "He looked confused just by us calling him Gabriel. Jesse…what if you were right, and we were waiting too long?"

Jesse shook his head. "He's not entirely gone. Gabriel is still under there, it's just... getting through the Talon parts, is all," Jesse said, stroking Gabe's hair. "It'll work out, Angie. It'll be fine," he said.

They were all exhausted, exhausted from the day, exhausted from the thought of 'what now?' Would Talon be on their asses even more? None of them knew how this was going to turn out.

"Widowmaker tried to shoot at him, earlier," Jesse pointed out, turning his head a little to look at Angela. "Do you think she was told to get rid of him if he was a liability?" He knew the answer. He knew it'd be yes, but he needed to hear someone else say it.

She nodded at his words, trying to take comfort from them. Gabriel had used his old nickname for Jesse. And that meant he knew something about him, so there was a start. "…Most likely, yes." She murmured. "This all…" She gestured to the mess on the floor. "Would have been enough to kill him, or at least do significant damage to him given the wrong attack strategy on our part. Or with their weapons as well. The places it was in were places that I know to be most vulnerable. The utility fog wouldn't have been able to cope with all of the stress, but once we had him, then…that plan was out the door, unless Gabriel had something else happen."

Jesse leaned his head back again, listening to Angela's words. Talon operated under no moral compass, from agents even grabbing Brigitte to now using shock torture on Gabe in order to either kill him or get him to behave. Probably to kill him, since Angela pointed out the stress it would have had on him.

"Sick fucks," he murmured, frowning. "All of them. Fuck," he sighed. "There may be old Blackwatch agents I don't even know about still operating under Talon. They fight like Blackwatch, which is easy enough since we've got some people who still recall Black watch techniques," he gestured to himself, mainly. "But damn, Angie. What if they're manipulating all their agents?"

"Its unlikely." She admitted. "That all of them would be working under heavy manipulation. Some of them might have followed Reyes. Others might just be bad people." Angela murmured. "He…outlived his use." She closed her eyes as she went through her train of thought. "Reaper was made to kill Jack Morrison and destroy Overwatch. He did, but Jack survived in 76, just as Overwatch as managed to reform. He's failed too many missions recently, many of them because of your interference. Their ability to bring him to heel must have been waning, and they didn't want him switching sides. If he was indeed, brought back into their midst by it, that would be fine. But if he wasn't, and continued to be a liability, and died, then that was fine by them as well."

Angela felt the car stop. "Can you carry him in?" She asked, standing and opening the door for Jesse.

He thought for a moment how he was indirectly responsible for the shock torture on Gabe, and frowned, before pushing the thought away. No, Talon was bad, and would've done that one way or another.

Jesse nodded to her as he carefully picked Gabe up. "We'll take 'em to the box and see what to do after that," he said, sighing. Gabe was definitely much lighter, now, and far too thin, but one step at a time. He carried Gabe off, taking the back entrance in order to get to the room they'd set the box up in. He waited for Angela, since he couldn't really set Gabe down at the moment, and the entrance needed to be unlocked.

Angela opened it up for him, before grabbing a few final items to place in there with him. Extra water bottles, toilet paper, along with multiple blankets and pillows for the rather sad looking cot. "Lay him down." She instructed, going to insert an IV in his arm, knowing that he needed fluids.

Gabriel was bone thin, looking haggard and starved and shifting in Jesse's arms to get closer to the warmth.

"We'll set him up, but… for now, at least, I can't let you in there with him. We don't know how he'll act at first." Angela admitted, sounding honestly apologetic.

Jesse went to lay Gabe down, noticing how Gabe still hugged him for warmth. But Angela had said he couldn't be in there right now, and as much as he would have liked to argue, he was too tired, and last time he went against Angela's orders she was not a happy woman. He sighed, looking back at her before taking off his serape and putting it over Gabe. "I'd like to be here when he wakes ups, at least," Jesse said. Though, knowing her, she was about to make him go and clean himself off. He was sure he looked like he made a trip to hell and back, and now that look cold see himself in better lighting, it was obvious some of Gabe's blood was still on him.

Surprisingly, she nodded in agreement. "You can stay until he wakes up." She sat down in her chair, closing the box and locking it behind Jesse, Gabriel curled up on a cot with blankets and Jesse's serape. Ana and 76 have shown up, both of them noticing how harrowed the two looked, but the Reaper was finally trapped, on their terms.

Jesse nodded and pulled up a chair next to Angela, looking at 76 and Ana when they came in. "You two alright?" he asked, going to reach for a cigar and light it. "Sorry I had to bail on ya, Ana," he apologized, taking a drag from the cigar and hoping Angela didn't make him put it out right now. 76 and Ana looked a bit frazzled, 76 a little more so.

Ana scoffed at him, going closer to the container to get a good look at Gabriel's face. The marks on his forehead and jaw were new. She'd seen his face back in Egypt last year. Her heart ached for the man. "It was fine, Jesse." She excused him. "I told you to take him and run. I'm glad you did, too. He doesn't look well."

76 seemed more on edge than usual, since Gabriel's face was hunched up in unconscious pain- it wasn't a masked figure that was hurting now, it was definitely Gabriel. Gabriel with stitches all over his face, who looked starved and prone on a bed, with Jesse's comforting bright red Serape over him- "I'm fine," 76 ground out belatedly, backing off a bit. Ana shrugged some, sticking with Jesse while Mercy followed him, patting Jesse's shoulder as she left.

Jesse gave 76 a sympathetic look, knowing he wasn't really fine. But his attention turned towards Gabriel again, and Ana who was looking back at Gabriel. Jesse had about a million and one questions for Ana, starting with  _"Why are you just now joining?"_  and ending with  _"What the hell do you think we do now?"_  'Cause honestly, Jesse was unsure himself about what the future held now.

He's got three people he was sure were all dead standing in the same room, one half dead, one a ghost, and one who spent years recovering from a near fatal gunshot wound. If he were told at seventeen this was the life he'd be choosing, though, he still would've preferred it. So he opted for an observation. "He looks incredibly weak underneath all the shit he wore. A lot lighter than I remember him ever bein'."

Ana pulled Jesse closer to her side, nodding. "He probably is. I'm sorry, Jesse, for not being here sooner. We'll make it through this." She told him, hopefully saying what he needed to hear. "The important thing is that they're both here in one piece. Getting the rest of the pieces to fall in place…that might take time, but I think that we can do it, since we have the time."

Gabriel had seemed to relax into deeper slumber, the pain leaving him as he finally got the rest he had been denied for so long.

Jesse leaned in to Ana's hold, sighing. "It's alright, Mama bear," he reassured. "I think we'll be able to do it. It'll be a lot of time," he pointed out, taking another drag off his cigar. He could really use a drink after today, but no, he had to sit in here for a bit and be functional. It was good to see Gabe relax, and rest though, the serape effectively covering him with all the other blankets.

"Let's hope he isn't violent when he wakes up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! I hope you all liked the update + thanks again for waiting so long patiently!!! feedback from friends on twitter got my ass finally in gear to finish this chapter up and get me moving again!! Thanks so much!


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